TRANSPORT

King's Cross

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will publish the comprehensive review of phase 2 of the London Underground Limited and CTRL redevelopment of King's Cross St. Pancras station.

Tony McNulty: I have been carefully considering the review report, which raises a number of complex engineering, operational and funding issues. I hope to make an announcement on the way forward shortly, and expect to publish the report at the same time.

Uninsured/Unlicensed Drivers

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the measures his Department is taking to ensure that (a) uninsured and (b) unlicensed drivers are kept off the road.

David Jamieson: The Department commissioned Professor David Greenaway of Nottingham University to carry out a review of motor insurance arrangements in the UK, publication of the report was on 11 August and we set up an implementation board in September to see that action follows.
	Working jointly with the insurance industry we now plan to introduce legislation, improve procedures and design education, publicity and enforcement programmes to drive down uninsured driving.
	These build on measures we announced last year to tighten the vehicle registration and licensing system.

Public Transport Accidents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving public transport occurred in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in the last year for which figures are available.

Charlotte Atkins: Figures are available in this form for bus accidents in 2003.
	In Coventry there were 64 injury accidents involving buses, of which two were fatal and three serious. In the West Midlands region there were 844, of which six were fatal and 86 serious.
	Comparable figures for rail are not available but in 2003 there were no passenger fatalities related to rail incidents anywhere in Great Britain.

A30

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will make an announcement on the decision on dualling the A30 Goss Moor section following the public inquiry.

David Jamieson: We have received the Inspector's report of the local inquiry and I hope to make an announcement on the outcome shortly.

Railways

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce costs within the railway industry.

Tony McNulty: The White Paper "The Future of Rail", published in July 2004 sets out a comprehensive package of reforms to provide a coherent and effective management structure for the railway and an effective control of costs.

Road Safety

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his plans are to improve road safety.

David Jamieson: We will continue to develop and implement our wide ranging and successful road safety strategy which has already cut the number of people killed or seriously injured to 22 per cent. below the 1994–98 average and child deaths and serious injuries by 40 per cent.

Public Transport

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on Government policy towards vulnerable public transport users.

Charlotte Atkins: Our aim is transport that works for everyone. We sponsor a wide programme of research and consultation on issues such as people's mobility needs and personal security. We have developed legislation and issued good practice guidance to assist planners and providers to deliver services that meet peoples' needs, including those of the most vulnerable.

Rail Estate Disposals

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the disposal of land ancillary to railway stations.

Tony McNulty: Network Rail is regulated by the Office of Rail Regulation. Condition 26 of Network Rail's network licence prevents the disposal of land, including that ancillary to railway stations, by Network Rail unless the Office of Rail Regulation consents to the disposal. Where consent is given the decisions on whether, when and how land should be disposed are commercial ones for Network Rail.

A303 (Stonehenge)

Terry Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to publish his response to the public inquiry into the planned A303 road scheme at Stonehenge.

David Jamieson: The Secretary of State will issue a decision after the Inspector's report has been received and the Inspector's recommendations given proper consideration.

A555 Submission Documents

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made in evaluating the A555 submission documents received by his Department earlier this year; and when he expects to report his findings.

David Jamieson: Ministers will make a decision on the A555 submission in time for the 2005–06 Local Transport Capital Expenditure Settlement.

Bus Services

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of improvements to accessibility to bus services for disabled people in the last 12 months.

Charlotte Atkins: Approximately 30 per cent. of full size buses operating in Great Britain as public service vehicles are low floor wheelchair accessible vehicles. The percentage operating in any given area will vary but in major cities it is likely to be considerably higher.
	This increase in the accessibility of the fleet is delivering real benefits to disabled people.

Bus Services

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government is on course to meet its target for an increase in bus usage by 10 per cent. by 2010.

Alistair Darling: Local bus patronage grew by 6.0 per cent. from 2000–01 to 2003–04, ahead of the straight-line trajectory for 10 per cent. growth over ten years.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will list the transport projects in the last 10 years in which a single local authority has compulsorily purchased land outside its own boundaries;
	(2)  on how many occasions in the last 10 years a local authority has been granted power compulsory to purchase land outside its own boundaries.

Charlotte Atkins: In respect of compulsory purchase orders granted to local authorities by the Secretary of State for Transport, information is not held in that form.

Departmental Salaries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people in his Department earn more than a whole-time equivalent salary of £57,485 per year.

Charlotte Atkins: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 856W. In addition, at 1 April 2004 the number of whole-time staff at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) whose salary exceeded £57,485 was eight.

Galileo Project

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received about the location of the EU Galileo Project in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Welsh Assembly and the East Midlands Development Agency have submitted proposals for locating the Galileo Supervisory Authority (GSA) in their region.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Charlotte Atkins: I have been the Department's Green Minister since September 2004. I am the Department for Transport's third Green Minister since its formation in May 2002.

Level crossings

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many level crossings are in operation; and at how many, and at what percentage of these collisions occurred between rail and road traffic in each year from 1975 to date.

Tony McNulty: The Health and Safety Executive's HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) have produced the following table detailing the information requested from 1 January 1990 onwards. The data are based on incidents reported under accident reporting regulations to HMRI.
	
		
			  Number of crossings Number of collisions Percentage collisions per crossings 
		
		
			 1990 9231 34 0.37 
			 1991–92 9213 35 0.38 
			 1992–93 9091 27 0.30 
			 1993–94 8966 29 0.32 
			 1994–95 8813 19 0.22 
			 1995–96 8731 21 0.24 
			 1996–97 8552 20 0.23 
			 1997–98 8379 19 0.22 
			 1998–99 8323 21 0.25 
			 1999–00 8228 19 0.23 
			 2000–01 8106 16 0.20 
			 2001–02 8128 14 0.17 
			 2002–03 8188 18 0.21 
			 2003–04 7937 18 0.22 
		
	
	Information for the period 1975 to 1989 is not available in the format requested, however published copies of HM Chief Inspector of Railways Annual Reports on Railway Safety for the period do give details of all accidents at level crossings. These include trains striking level crossing barriers and gates, animals on the line and injuries to motorists and pedestrians. Copies of these reports are in the Libraries of the House.

Road Traffic Accidents

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons (a) died and (b) were seriously injured in road traffic accidents on 6 November.

David Jamieson: Figures for 2004 will not be available until the summer of 2005. This is because there is typically a 12-week delay in receiving information from the police and a much longer delay if they are having any difficulties in collating the information. Once all data have been finalised they are made available for publication.

Roads (Lorry Bans)

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether on the completion of the Dunstable and Houghton Regis northern bypass, the extension of the A505 to the M1, there will be a ban on the use of the A5 through Dunstable by lorries not having business in the town.

David Jamieson: The development of the proposed A5-M1 link (Dunstable northern bypass) is at an early stage and responsibility for the A5 through Dunstable on completion of the bypass has not yet been agreed. However, if the route were to be de-trunked, responsibility would pass to Bedfordshire county council, who could consider such a lorry ban.

Roads (Lorry Bans)

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to institute a ban in Leighton Buzzard and Linslade on lorries not having business in the town.

David Jamieson: This is a matter for Bedfordshire county council.

School Buses

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures the Government will put in place to ensure that high standards are maintained by companies charged with running yellow school buses.

David Jamieson: We want all buses—including yellow school buses—to be safe and secure for their users. A range of safeguards is already in place to ensure that vehicles are safe and drivers are adequately trained.

Translink Guided Busway

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the latest estimated cost is of the Translink guided busway for Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and the surrounding area.

Charlotte Atkins: The latest estimated cost of the Translink guided busway is £85.436 million.

Vehicle Licensing

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the costs of vehicle licensing.

David Jamieson: The regime for vehicle taxation, i.e. vehicle licensing, is determined by HM Treasury and DVLA collect the vehicle excise duty on behalf of HM Treasury through a service level agreement held by the Department of Transport.
	DVLA have efficiency targets set for their operations on an annual basis to ensure that productivity gains are made consistently. They have a good record in this, having returned efficiency gains of 21 per cent. over the last six years, and have challenging targets agreed as part of the Gershon review for the period up to 2007–08.

CABINET OFFICE

Ministerial Responsibilities

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many hours on average he has spent per week on his Duchy of Lancaster responsibilities.

Alan Milburn: I have regular meetings on Duchy business. The Chairman and CEO regularly brief me on current issues.

Strategy Unit

Andy Burnham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the work programme of the Strategy Unit.

Alan Milburn: The Strategy Unit undertakes projects on a wide range of issues, as well as working across Government to improve strategic capability, and providing leadership for Government social research. Projects may culminate either in a published report (including statements of future policy) or confidential advice to Ministers.
	The five main current public Strategy Unit projects cover:
	Countries at Risk of Instability
	Deprived Areas
	Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People.
	Legal Aid
	Engagement in Public Institutions

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans she has to bring forward legislation to enable citizens to have direct access to the parliamentary ombudsman.

Ruth Kelly: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer provided by my predecessor to the hon. Member for Milton Keynes, North East, (Brian White) on Tuesday 9 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1377–1378.

Civil Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what action is being taken to increase the number of women in the senior civil service.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to increasing the representation of women in the Senior Civil Service. Some 27.8 per cent. of the Senior Civil Service are women, up from 17.6 per cent. in 1998.
	Action in departments includes targeted development schemes for women with the potential to reach the SCS.

Attitude Surveys

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he receives copies of departmental attitude surveys in connection with his responsibilities for co-ordination of Government policy.

Alan Milburn: I receive departmental papers as necessary, in order to undertake my cross-Government role in the co-ordination of Government policy, my responsibilities for the work of the Strategy Unit and my membership of Cabinet and Cabinet Committees.

Cabinet Committees

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Cabinet Committees he (a) chairs and (b) attends in his capacity as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the Cabinet Committees of which he is a member.

Alan Milburn: holding answer 9 November 2004
	An announcement on the membership of Cabinet Committees will be made shortly.

Civil Servants (Pensions)

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the latest figure is for the average length of pension payout of the civil service direct benefit pension.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave her on 8 November 2004, Official Report, column 515W.

Civil Service Sports Council

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office under what authority the Civil Service Sports Council operates land belonging to the civil service for sporting purposes.

Ruth Kelly: The Civil Service Sports Council Ltd, a company registered under the Industrial and Provident Society Acts, encourages and co-ordinates the pursuit of sport and recreation throughout the civil service.
	CSSC either owns or leases the sites it operates. Of 37 sports clubs, 21 are owned freehold by CSSC and 16 are leasehold. Five sites are leased from the Ministry of Defence. Rents are paid at a commercial rate.

Departmental Budget

Richard Allan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the budget for the (a) Delivery Unit, (b) Office of Public Sector Reform, (c) Charter Mark Unit, (d) Beacon Unit, (e) Media Monitoring Team, (f) Corporate Communications Team and (g) Strategy Unit (i) was for each year since 1997–98, (ii) is for 2004–05 and (iii) will be for 2005–06; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Resource Budgets for the Delivery Unit, Office of Public Service Reform and the Strategy Unit since their inception are as follows.
	
		
			 Unit Delivery unit Office of public service reform Strategy unit 
		
		
			 2001–02 1.4 1.4 n/a 
			 2002–03 3.8 5.4 6.3 
			 2003–04 3.8 3.8 4.8 
			 2004–05 3.9 2.3 3.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures shown in £ million.
	2. The figures for the Office of Public Service Reform (OPSR) from 2002–03 onwards include the budget for the Charter Mark and Beacon Scheme which was merged with OPSR in 2002.
	Budgetary information for the Charter Mark Unit and the Beacon Unit for 2001–02 and or the Corporate Communications Team for the period 2001–02 to 2004–05 is not readily identifiable from the Cabinet Office's accounting system and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) has a nil budget and operates on a cost-recovery basis. The Unit's running costs are recovered in total through contributions from each of the departments and agencies that use MMU's services.
	Budgets for 2005–06 will be finalised following completion of the Cabinet Office's business planning round.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of the London offices of the Department was in each of the last four years.

Ruth Kelly: Costs of decoration are not held separately from overall maintenance costs and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The costs of refurbishment of London offices of the Cabinet Office are shown in the table.
	
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 2000–01 15,653,991 
			 2001–02 21,177,067 
			 2002–03 14,255,364 
			 2003–04 3,720,380 
		
	
	Figures Include fees, furniture/office equipment and VAT.

E-Government

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of access to e-Government services for people living in disadvantaged areas of the UK.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to providing access to their services in a way that best meets citizens needs and e-Government provides a range of delivery options to complement traditional channels.
	The Government realise the internet is a key access technology for e-Government services and have invested in over 6,000 UK online centres which provide free or low cost access particularly in disadvantaged areas.
	An assessment of internet availability, across England, found that that 99 per cent. of households are within 10 kilometres of a public internet access point. The full results can be found on page eight of the 2003 UK Online report at www.e- government.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/MediaCentre/NewOnSiteArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID =4006060&chk=rlWVHj.

EU Civil Protection Monitoring and Information Centre

Bill Tynan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the role of the EU Civil Protection Monitoring and Information Centre; how many requests for assistance the UK (a) has made and (b) has responded to; and what UK assets have been made available to the centre's database.

Ruth Kelly: The Monitoring and Information Centre is a unit within the European Commission's Directorate General for Environment in Brussels. It was set up in 2002 as part of the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to act as a centre for collecting and distributing information on emergencies; to receive requests for assistance from any country; and to pass the requests on to member states that participate in the Mechanism. The countries participating in the mechanism are the 25 EU member states, the three European Economic Area countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and the two candidate countries (Bulgaria and Romania).
	The United Kingdom has not submitted any requests for assistance to the Monitoring and Information Centre. A total of 15 requests for assistance have been sent out by the Monitoring and Information Centre. The UK responded to all of them and in eight cases offered assistance either bi-laterally or through international organisations. Where the UK did not offer help that was either because the UK did not have the specialised resource required (for example, in responding to forest fires) or another country closer to the incident was able to assist.
	The UK has offered the following assets to the Monitoring and Information Centre's database (subject to them being available at the time):
	
		
			 Type of asset sought Asset offered 
		
		
			 Staffed field hospitals Medical assistance teams, clinical expertise, intensive care and burns beds 
			 Experts, specialists and laboratory support Medical assistance evaluation experts and doctors 
			 Pharmaceutical stocks Resources including antibiotics, vaccines, antidotes, laboratory facilities 
			 Transportation, evacuation and shelter facilities Airhead operations staff with air cargo handling skills. Drivers for large goods vehicles 
			 Fire fighting capability Staff with land and marine fire fighting capability 
			 Urban search and rescue Modular teams available with a range of search and rescue equipment. 
			 Logistics support Airhead operations staff with air cargo handling skills. Drivers for large goods vehicles

Freedom of Information Act

Julian Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the likely costs to her Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The cost of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) will depend on the number and complexity of the requests received. The resources of the Cabinet Office Openness Team have, however, been strengthened to cope with the anticipated demands of the FOIA and contingency arrangements are in place to further augment the team should the need arise. These additional costs are being met from within the existing Cabinet Office resource budget.

Frontline Civil Servants

Ben Chapman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the methodology used to determine whether civil servants are classified as frontline.

Ruth Kelly: Frontline staff are usually defined as those who interact directly with the public or other customers for example, in jobcentres or tax offices. There is no centrally agreed civil service methodology to determine whether a post is designated as frontline it is for individual departments and agencies to decide on their own classification to meet their individual business needs.

Government Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to her answer of 28 October, Official Report, column 1379W, on Government websites, whether it is the office's policy to deem Government websites to be covered by Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Ruth Kelly: The Cabinet Office considers that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 Part III, as explained in the Disability Rights Commission's supporting Code of Practice on Rights of Access—Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises (published in 2002) applies equally to all websites accessible to the public and therefore includes those owned and managed by or on behalf of the Government.

Government Websites

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to her answer of 28 October, Official Report, column 1379W, on Government websites, what steps she has taken to ensure that all .gov.uk websites meet the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines adopted by the Government in 2001.

Ruth Kelly: The Guidelines for UK Government websites (published in 2002) contains an extensive interpretation on the application of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The Cabinet Office uses every opportunity available through public and private conferences and workshops to promote the Guidelines and raise awareness of web accessibility within both the Government web manager and web developer communities. We have recently updated the terms and conditions for the use of .gov.uk domain names to require all new websites to maintain the high level of accessibility detailed in the Guidelines for UK Government websites.
	It is the responsibility of individual Government departments and agencies to ensure that their public facing websites are built and maintained to comply with the accessibility guidelines.

Internet

Richard Allan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how much her Department has spent on the Delivering on the Promise internet content management system; and how much it plans to spend in the financial year 2005–06;
	(2)  which Government departments and agencies have made a commitment to use the Delivering on the Promise internet content management system;
	(3)  which Government departments and agencies have evaluated the Delivering on the Promise internet content management system against alternatives and decided not to use it;
	(4)  what standards for access by disabled people are incorporated in the Delivering on the Promise internet content management system.

Ruth Kelly: Since its inception, the Cabinet Office has spent the following on Delivering on the Promise (DotP) internet content management systems; £5.5 million in 2002–03, £18.3 million in 2003–04 and expects to spend £11.3 million in 2004–05. This includes development, implementation, hosting and operating costs of the system.
	Planned expenditure for 2005–06 is not available as Cabinet Office is currently reviewing its budgets and plans for that year.
	As at 1 October 2004 the following departments and agencies have committed to use the content management system Department of Health, Healthcare Commission, HM Revenue and Customs (specifically Child Trust Fund), Cabinet Office (specifically e-Government Unit and Directgov).
	The use of DotP was evaluated against alternatives and not selected for four Departmental applications (Northern Ireland Departments, Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Department of Trade and Industry (Businesslink). In addition DotP did not meet the particular technology requirements of four other Departmental applications (National Patient Safety Agency, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Foreign Office EU Presidency Unit, ODPM Regional Co-ordination Unit) and HM Revenue and Customs (introductory overarching website), and alternatives have subsequently been sought.
	The world wide web consortium develops and publishes internet standards by making recommendations, which were adopted by the Government in 2001. The design of DotP allows each individual website to meet its compliant obligations for accessibility under the Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines published by the world wide web consortium at www.w3c.org.

PCS Strike

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment she has made of the impact on the provision of Government services of the PCS strike on 5 November.

Ruth Kelly: The strike by members of the Public and Commercial Services union caused some inconvenience to the public but did not cause significant disruption to most Government services. This was partly because departments and agencies had effective contingency arrangements in place to protect services, particularly those essential to security or welfare, and partly because of low levels of support for the strike in a number of areas.

Public Service Agreements

Brian White: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which senior civil servant has responsibility for each of her Department's public service agreements.

Ruth Kelly: Six Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets were agreed in the course of the 2002 Spending Review for the period to 2005–06. Details of the PSA targets can be found in the Departmental Report (Cm 6226), copies of which are available in the Library.
	The Minister for the Cabinet Office is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the PSA. The Managing Director and Permanent Head of the Department, Colin Balmer, is responsible for assuring the delivery of each target.
	My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is jointly responsible for the delivery of target 2.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Balai Directive 92/65/EEC

Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many premises in the UK are (a) registered and (b) approved under the Balai Directive 92/65/EEC.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 8 November 2004
	In the UK, there are 544 premises that are registered under the Balai Directive (Directive 92/65/EEC), of which 40 premises have the higher status of being approved.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to consult the beekeeping industry on her proposals concerning future levels of support for the industry.

Alun Michael: My officials are already in touch with beekeeping associations on our future plans for the bee health programme. A meeting is taking place later this month.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the incidence of European foul brood in the bee population in England and Wales.

Alun Michael: The inspection programme is targeted towards areas and apiaries which are thought to be at greatest risk from European foul brood and other notifiable diseases. In 2004 the disease was confirmed in 691 colonies, 2.7 per cent. of the 26,000 inspected by the National Bee Unit's inspectors. Most of these cases were found in the Midlands and in southern areas of England and Wales.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what programme of inspection of bee colonies for (a) European foul brood and (b) American foul brood is planned following the proposed removal of statutory control on European foul brood.

Alun Michael: Following a firm decision to remove statutory controls on European foul brood inspections would no longer be targeted on this disease, although inspectors would continue to offer advice on its control as they do at present for other serious but non-statutory diseases. The inspection programme would be planned to maximise control of American foul brood which is more serious, less widespread and unlike European foul brood does not lend itself to control through husbandry techniques.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money has been allocated to the proposed Central Science Laboratory Training Scheme on identification of bee diseases.

Alun Michael: Training is an integral part of the National Bee Unit's work . Some £164,000 was spent in 2004 on 736 talks, demonstrations, lectures and apiary tours, benefiting more than 15,600 beekeepers in England.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will commission an independent assessment of the effectiveness of (a) shock swarming as a means of controlling foulbrood and (b) the proposed test kits for the diagnosis of European foulbrood.

Alun Michael: The National Bee Unit studies on the shook swarm technique have already been subject to independent scientific peer review, as will be the data on effectiveness of test kits for diagnosis of European foul brood.

Bees

David Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures to combat European foulbrood since the change in the policy of compulsory destruction to one of treatment with antibiotics.

Alun Michael: The effectiveness of measures to control European foul brood is subject to continuous assessment by the National Bee Unit and details of the incidence and treatment of the disease are published annually on its website. The use of antibiotic treatment has proved successful in many circumstances and colonies have recovered which would previously have been destroyed. Experimental use of the "shook swarm" technique, which does not use antibiotics, shows considerable promise for future control.

Bird Populations

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research is being undertaken on the population of ground-laying birds in moorlands and heaths; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: A wide range of survey and monitoring is being undertaken on ground nesting birds in upland areas. The Breeding Bird Survey (jointly funded by British Trust for Ornithology, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) monitors annual trends of a number of upland species, while more detailed research on the ecology of grouse species being undertaken by the Game Conservancy Trust. Several studies on the ecology of upland breeding waders have been undertaken in recent years by RSPB and some universities.

Bovine TB (Deer)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many comparative intra-dermal TB tests were carried out on (a) farmed and (b) park deer herds under the Deer Health Scheme in the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: To be eligible to join the Deer Health Scheme, applicants' deer herds must test negative to the tuberculin test and, to retain their membership, the herds must test negatively at 24 monthly intervals. Over the last five years, members' herds have been tested six times. The three deer herds currently in the Deer Health Scheme are all farmed.

Bovine TB (Deer)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farmed and (b) park deer herds were (i) registered and (ii) not registered in the Deer Health Scheme in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Over the last five years, membership of the Deer Health Scheme has declined from five members to three. Currently there are two members in Scotland and one in England. There are approximately 263 deer farms in England, 67 in Scotland and 33 in Wales. All the deer herds currently in the scheme are farmed.

Bovine TB (Deer)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regulations apply to the import into the UK of cervine embryos in relation to bovine TB; and what enforcement measures her Department has put in place.

Ben Bradshaw: In England, cervine embryos are imported by licences made under the Animal and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 2004 or the Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (England) Regulations 2004 and the Importation of Embryos, Ova and Semen Order (as amended) 1984. There is equivalent legislation applied to other parts of the UK.
	The licence conditions include a request that the donor animals originate from a premises which, immediately prior to isolation at an approved collection centre, no clinical or other evidence has been recorded which leads to the conclusion that TB has occurred within the previous three years. Also, embryos intended for export to the UK must originate from a collection centre approved by an authorised veterinary officer of the competent authority of the exporting country.
	In addition, all genetic material imported from a third country must enter the European Community via an approved border inspection post where the consignments undergo a series of veterinary checks.
	The above statutory instruments are enforced by local authorities.
	The likelihood of semen or ova from donor animals of domestic species being infected with TB is minimal. The World Organisation for Animal Health has published a "Categorisation of Diseases and Pathogenic Agents" by the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS). The IETS has categorised Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (cattle) as a category 4 disease on which preliminary work has been conducted or is in progress. Category 4 is made up of diseases/pathogenic agents for which transmission is considered a low risk.

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what hourly rate of pay is payable to new employees under the pay offer being made by the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 27 October 2004
	Under the April 2004 pay offer for CEFAS, the new hourly rates of pay (for existing as well as new employees) will depend on the grade of individual members of staff, and their position in the pay band associated with their grade. These range from £4.85 per hour to £25.78 per hour.
	The pay bands, before and after implementation of the offer, are as follows.
	A further change was made to the minimum of pay band 1 in October, to reflect the change to the national minimum wage. Five members of staff were affected. They were notified of the change in writing, and the new rates were paid in their October salaries.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Entry range minimum Main range minimum Main range maximum Top range maximum 
		
		
			 1 April 2003—pay ranges 
			 PB1 10,000 10,350 11,479 12,177 
			 PB2 11,249 11,935 13,720 14,762 
			 PB3 12,838 14,513 17,975 19,970 
			 PB4 14,867 16,995 20,899 23,650 
			 PB5 19,607 21,528 25,788 28,048 
			 PB6 25,090 26,952 32,939 35,438 
			 PB7 33,546 35,338 41,914 45,831 
			 PB8 39,832 42,745 51,586 56,307 
			  
			 1 April 2004—pay ranges 
			  
			 PB1 10,200 10,500 11,479 12,177 
			 PB2 11,474 11,935 13,720 14,762 
			 PB3 13,095 14,513 17,975 19,970 
			 PB4 15,164 16,995 20,899 23,650 
			 PB5 20,000 21,928 25,788 28,048 
			 PB6 25,592 27,352 32,939 35,438 
			 PB7 34,217 35,338 41,914 45,831 
			 PB8 40,629 42,745 51,586 56,307 
			  
			 1 October 2004—pay ranges (adjusted) 
			  
			 PB1 — 10,593 11,479 12,177 
			 PB2 11,474 11,935 13,720 14,762 
			 PB3 13,095 14,513 17,975 19,970 
			 PB4 15,164 16,995 20,899 23,650 
			 PB5 20,000 21,928 25,788 28,048 
			 PB6 25,592 27,352 32,939 35,438 
			 PB7 34,217 35,338 41,914 45,831 
			 PB8 40,629 42,745 51,586 56,307

Cervine Embryos

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cervine embryos were (a) exported by and (b) imported to the UK in each of the past five years; and what the value was of the cervine embryo export industry in each of those years.

Ben Bradshaw: Available information for the number of ampules/vials of cervine embryos exported from the UK is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 43 
			 2000 306 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 3 
		
	
	The available information for the number of ampules/vials of cervine embryos imported into the UK is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 0 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 37 
		
	
	These figures are derived from computer based systems relating to import notifications and export health certification. The figures are subject to updating and amendment.
	It is not possible to gauge the exact number of embryos involved as a ampule/vial may contain more than one embryo collected from the same donor animal.
	Information on the value of cervine embryo exports is not available.

Chewing Gum

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is planning to tackle the problem of people dropping chewing gum.

Alun Michael: The experience of local government and other public bodies, working with the Government, has demonstrated that there is no simple and immediate solution to this problem. That is why we have taken a joined-up approach to making a real difference. Last year I established a Chewing Gum Action Group which brought together chewing gum manufacturers, the Local Government Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns—formerly the Tidy Britain Group), the Department for Education and Skills, the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and others.
	The remit of the group is to tackle the irresponsible disposal of chewing gum using an integrated approach based on new research which we commissioned and concentrating on campaign activity, education, dissemination of good practice and more effective enforcement.
	We will launch a public awareness campaign in the coming year with the aim of delivering the behavioural change needed to prevent gum being dropped in the first place. The group commissioned an extensive round of market research in order to understand 'gum droppers' and to enable the campaign to be as targeted as possible. The research was published on 1 November and can be viewed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/litter/index.htm.
	The group is disseminating proven good practice, including innovative approaches to prevention and information sharing on tools and techniques for its removal, through the Improvement and Development Agency for local government website (IDeA).

Chewing Gum

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will penalise those councils who fail to implement the powers they have to clean up chewing gum.

Alun Michael: Chewing gum differs from normal litter in that it is very difficult and time consuming to remove once it becomes impacted onto a surface. Many authorities are doing an excellent job at finding innovative ways to remove gum and prevent its irresponsible disposal.
	Under the current Code of Practice for Litter and Refuse, local authorities are under a duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. While chewing gum is included within this responsibility, it is clear that the difficulty and cost of removal is considerably higher in respect of gum that has been trodden in and has become a "stain".
	The Government are looking at a variety of options to help local authorities tackle this problem. These include a public awareness campaign to be launched next year, and proposals in Defra's 'Clean Neighbourhoods' consultation to improve and streamline enforcement powers on chewing gum disposal.

CHP

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department will take to stimulate the market for micro-combined heat and power and domestic heat pumps as a result of the recent field trials.

Elliot Morley: In our Energy White Paper, we made a commitment to support field trials to evaluate the benefits of micro-CHP. The field trials are currently ongoing and are expected to produce meaningful results sometime in 2006. The results will help us determine the appropriateness of any further measures, if any, that might be necessary to support the development of micro-CHP.

CHP

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the results were of the field trials on micro-combined heat and power that her Department has been supporting.

Elliot Morley: In our Energy White Paper, we made a commitment to support field trials to evaluate the benefits of micro-CHP. The field trials are on-going and the earliest date we expect meaningful results to be available is sometime in 2006.

Community Councils (Wales)

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has held with community councils in Wales on the proposals to extend the scope of on-the-spot fines.

Alun Michael: The Prime Minister announced on the 28 October 2004, in his speech on antisocial behaviour, that the law would be changed as soon as possible to allow parish and town councils to levy fixed penalty notices for litter, graffiti or for noise nuisance. We hope to bring legislation forward at the earliest possible opportunity to enable parish and town councils to levy such penalties. It will be for the National Assembly for Wales to decide whether these powers will be made available to community councils in Wales and therefore any discussions should take place between them on this subject.

Compost

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at what point in the processing cycle her Department ceases to define compost as waste.

Elliot Morley: The definition of waste in force in the United Kingdom is the definition in Article 1(a) of the Waste Framework Directive (as amended). Whether or not a substance is discarded as waste, and when waste ceases to be waste, are matters which must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the Courts. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued several judgments on the definition of waste which are binding on member states and their "competent authorities".
	The ECJ has ruled that
	" . . . whether [a substance] is..waste..must be determined in the light of all the circumstances, regard being had to the aim of the Directive and the need to ensure that its effectiveness is not undermined."
	In practice, this means that waste does not cease to be waste until it has been fully recovered within the meaning of the Directive and there is certainty of its use as a product without undergoing a further recovery operation. The Environment Agency considers that (a) source-segregated waste which, after composting, meets a recognised and suitable quality standard (e.g. BSI PAS 100) is likely to meet the first criterion; and (b) mixed waste which is composted is likely to remain waste until it is used in a further recovery operation (e.g. land treatment resulting in agricultural benefit or ecological improvement) subject to control by the Agency under a licence or registered licensing exemption.

Consultants/Advisers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department maintains a list of the number of (a) private sector consultants and (b) professional advisers employed by her Department (i) at present and (ii) in the past.

Alun Michael: The Department do not have a single list of consultants and professional advisers employed because such lists can be classed as discriminatory under the public procurement rules. The public procurement rules, as well as general treaty principles, lay down both the criteria which may be used to select suppliers and the evidence which may be required for this process.
	As part of its preparations for and implementation of the Gershon value for money agenda in Defra, detailed analysis of expenditure on professional services providers is being undertaken currently and I will place a copy of the analysis in the House of Common Library in due course.

Cross-compliance Arrangements (Fields)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what exemptions are being put in place to the new cross compliance arrangements for two-metre uncultivated field margins.

Alun Michael: Fields of two hectares and under will not need to have protective buffer zones around hedges and ditches as part of cross compliance measures. Hedges planted on or after 1 January 2005 will also be exempted from the requirement under cross compliance to have a buffer for the first five years of their existence.

Cuckmere Valley

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent to date by the Environment Agency on its plans to alter the nature of the Cuckmere Valley; what the budget for the preparatory stage of this project is; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency confirms that the budget for specialist advice during the preparatory stage of this project is £284,000, of which approximately £200,000 has been spent to date. The Environment Agency also makes allowance for internal staff costs and has budgeted £84,000 for the completion of the preparatory work, £49,000 of which has been spent to date. This figure includes costs from previous years.
	The work to date has involved undertaking baseline ecological surveys, landscape archaeology studies, fluvial/coastal geomorphology modelling, prediction of habitat losses and gains and recreation surveys. Much work has been completed for the western side of the valley and work is now underway for the eastern side, concluding with a preferred option. The current assessment considers the impact of any proposal on the upper reaches of the tidal Cuckmere River and follows the Government's current economic, technical and environmental appraisal guidance. Costs for the implementation phase will be established once the option which provides the most appropriate long-term solution has been identified.
	The natural processes within the valley are complex and need to be understood so that, when changes occur, the consequences are known and the most appropriate solution identified. Since 1998, extensive work has been undertaken with relevant local authorities, key stakeholder groups and the general public. This is due to report in the summer of 2005.
	Existing flood defences are reaching the end of their life and are increasingly ineffective against sea level rise. The Environment Agency spends between £30,000 and £50,000 per annum maintaining the defences in this area and ensuring that the river can adequately discharge into the sea. This is spent on recycling material from the river (carried by longshore drift) back to the western beach, and in maintaining a small number of groynes and breastwork which aim to prevent total blockage of the river.

Dairy Farmers

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's support for dairy farmers.

Alun Michael: UK dairy farmers benefit from aid under the CAP worth around £2 billion for the EU. From this year, for the first time this includes direct payments to dairy farmers in addition to market support measures.
	The Government are also taking action in line with its Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food to facilitate industry action to address the causes of low farmgate prices and to adapt to the new conditions created by the reformed CAP. For example,
	My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, has been chairing meetings of a Dairy Supply Chain Forum, which has been looking at collaborative solutions to improve supply chain efficiency, as well as other issues.
	The Government have made a grant of nearly £0.5 million to the Food Chain Centre to examine how to improve dairy supply chain efficiency; and
	we have supported the establishment of English Food and Farming Partnerships to encourage co-operation and collaboration across all agricultural sectors.

Departmental Salaries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in her Department earn more than a whole-time equivalent salary of £57,485 per year.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 856W.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make representations to the EU Commission (a) to close the sole fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea and (b) to make a minimum 110 mesh size for cod ends mandatory.

Ben Bradshaw: No. UK fishermen land significant quantities of sole from the Eastern Irish Sea. There is no reason why they should not continue to do so. Mesh sizes in the Irish Sea—as elsewhere—vary between fisheries from small meshes used to catch shrimps to 100mm or more used to catch cod. I have no plans to make 110mm mesh mandatory in all these fisheries.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the sustainability of the plaice fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea.

Ben Bradshaw: Assessments of plaice stocks around the UK are undertaken by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). The latest assessment, published on 22 October 2004, is that the Irish Sea plaice has full reproductive capacity and is harvested sustainably.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports she has received from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science this year on (a) the operation of the Cod Recovery Plan and (b) the effects of the Cod Recovery Plan on the plaice fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea; and what action she has taken in response.

Ben Bradshaw: Ongoing research and analysis on various aspects of the operation of the cod recovery programme, as undertaken by CEFAS, has been incorporated directly into this year's ICES advice process. The Fisheries Science Partnership has undertaken specific work on the level of bycatch and discards linked to the use of particular mesh sizes in the Eastern Irish Sea trawl fisheries. A full report on this work is expected later this year.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had within the Fisheries Council on introducing selective gear to reduce discards in the Eastern Irish Sea.

Ben Bradshaw: A number of measures to introduce more selective gear into the Irish Sea have already been agreed as part of the cod recovery plan. These include a requirement to use square mesh panels in demersal trawls using 80–99 mm mesh and headline panels in nets with meshes of 70–99 mm. We expect the Commission to bring forward a further technical conservation proposal next year.

Departmental Expenditure

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the Environment Agency's annual budget was spent on (a) international conferences, (b) summits and (c) fact-finding missions outside the UK in each year since June 2001.

Elliot Morley: Figures for expenditure on (a) international conferences, (b) summits and (c) fact-finding missions outside the UK are not collected by the Environment Agency and could be established only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the Environment Agency's expenditure on all business visits outside the UK in the last three financial years (net of recoverable travel costs) was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 285,888 
			 2002–03 298,046 
			 2003–04 389,556

Departmental Expenditure

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will break down the budget set by her Department for public expenditure on (a) the Rural Development Service and (b) Rural Policy programmes and schemes for the financial years (i) 2004–05 and (ii) 2005–06 by programme.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department's plans for public expenditure on the running costs of the Rural Development Service are £37.6 million for both 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	(b) The Department's plans for public expenditure on Rural Policy for the two years 2004–05 and 2005–06 consist of the following programmes:
	
		 -- £million
		
			 Programme 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 Payments to Regional Development Agencies 46.6 76.9 
			 Sponsorship of the Countryside Agency 93.9 72.6 
			 Rural economy development schemes 31.5 32.5 
			 Total 172.0 182.0

Departmental Expenditure

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of her annual departmental budget was spent on international conferences, summits or fact-finding missions outside the UK in each year since June 2001.

Margaret Beckett: This information could only be provided at disproportionate costs as expenditure is not summarised by the Department under the categories requested.

Environmental Schemes (Payments)

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid out under (a) Countryside Stewardship, (b) Organic Conversion Scheme, (c) Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme, (d) Woodland Scheme and (e) Moorland and Habitat Scheme in each county in England in 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Payments made under these schemes are administered by the Rural Payments Agency. In the current financial year to the end of October, payments made in England totalled:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 Countryside Stewardship Scheme(1) 28.863 
			 Organic Farming Scheme 4.145 
			 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme 35.385 
			 Farm Woodland Scheme 1.526 
			 Farm Woodland Premium Scheme 7.067 
		
	
	(1) The Moorland and Habitat schemes are closed to new applicants and residual payments are included in the total for Countryside Stewardship
	The RPA is amending its database to enable expenditure on these schemes to be broken down by county, and I shall write to my hon. Friend with the details he has requested as soon as they are available.

Foxes

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of catching urban foxes and transporting and releasing them into rural areas; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has made no assessment of this.
	It is not unlawful to trap foxes in live capture cage traps and to release them at the same or a different location as long as this is done humanely and as long as the fox is not abandoned in circumstances likely to cause unnecessary suffering.
	However, I should point out, that my Department advises against relocating foxes on welfare grounds, mainly due to their territorial nature.

Free Fruit (Primary Schools)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the rural proofing by her Department of the Government's scheme to provide free fruit to children in primary schools.

Alun Michael: pursuant to his reply, 21 October 2004, Official Report, c. 834W
	My answer contained the word "rival" three times in the final sentence. This was incorrect and should have stated "rural". The rest of the answer remains correct and is detailed in full as follows.
	The National Free Fruit Scheme was launched in November 2000 and has been expanded upon since then. The scheme pre-dates the introduction of rural proofing, which was launched in the Rural White Paper, also of November 2000. It was not initially subject to rural proofing, but all new policy is subject to regulatory impact assessment, which includes an element of rural proofing. This would normally be done by the Department introducing the policy, in this case, the Department of Health. Clearly, the policy applies to both rural and urban schools and as well as providing health benefits it uses produce from rural areas and promotes consumption which is likely to help the rural economy in the long term.

Heating

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential for (a) combined heat and power and (b) community heating in the UK in the (i) residential, (ii) public and (iii) commercial sectors; and if she will make a statement on the amount of each which is being realised.

Elliot Morley: The Government's Strategy for Combined Heat and Power to 2010, which we published earlier this year, mentions several studies on the potential for CHP. None of the recent reports give a split against sectors. The Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2004 shows that installed CHP electrical capacity stood at 4,879 megawatts at the end of 2003. This figure attributes 128 megawatts to the commercial sector, 195 megawatts to the public sector, with the balance covering all other sectors, predominantly industry. There is no separate figure for the residential sector.
	A study published as part of the Community Energy programme in 2003 estimated the cost-effective potential of community heating in the UK to be around 17,100 gigawatt hours of heat per annum (GWh/yr) by 2010. The figure is split: 3,300 GWh/yr in the domestic/residential sector; 2,500 GWh/yr in the public sector; and 11,300 GWh/yr in the commercial sector. We do not have figures for the current level of installed community heating.

Horse Exports

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live horses have been exported for meat consumption into Europe in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: According to HM Custom and Excise, official overseas trade statistics show that there were no recorded exports of live horses for consumption during this period.

Horse Industry

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Minister of State for Rural Affairs had with the Henley Centre about the terms of reference for the recent report on research in the horse industry in Great Britain; and whether the impact on the horse industry of the abolition of hunting formed part of the terms of reference.

Alun Michael: The terms of reference for the Henley Centre research were set by Defra officials, in consultation with myself. They are set out in full in appendix G to the published report. The scope of the research was to map the horse industry, to address requirements for baseline data on it, and to identify the key issues to be considered in the preparation of the strategy for the industry. The terms of reference did not themselves identify these issues.

Landfill

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that wood otherwise destined for landfill is used in co-fired and non-coal burning power stations.

Elliot Morley: The Government are committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill, in order to reduce its environmental impact and because landfilling is a missed opportunity to recover value from waste. This commitment applies to waste wood as it does to any other waste material. Using wood as a fuel in power stations is one alternative to disposal in landfills and, under the forthcoming review of the Renewables Obligation, the case for amending eligibility rules regarding electricity generated from mixed wastes, including wood, will be considered. More details are available at: http://www.dti·gov.uk/energy/renewables/policy/terms_of_reference.shtml]
	There are other ways of diverting wood from landfill, such as re-using or recycling it as a raw material in construction or for manufacturing wood based products. To encourage this, wood is one of the priority materials under the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which was established to create markets for recycled materials. By 2006 WRAP are aiming for a 150,000 tonne increase in the recycling of waste wood into added-value end markets.

Landfill

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the amount of wood going into landfill; and what action she plans to take to reduce this amount.

Elliot Morley: The Government have no basis for estimating the amount of wood being disposed of in landfills. However, it is committed to reducing the UK's reliance on landfill, in order to reduce its environmental impact and because landfilling is a missed opportunity to recover value from waste. This commitment applies to wood as it does to any other waste material. As a result, the Government encourages the re-use or recycling of wood as a raw material in construction or in manufacturing wood based products or used as a fuel, rather than being sent to landfill. In particular, wood is one of the priority materials under the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which was established to create markets for recycled materials. By 2006 WRAP are aiming for a 150,000 tonne increase in the recycling of waste wood into added-value end markets.

Landfill

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's preparations to meet the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive.

Elliot Morley: The Government role in preparing for the requirements of the EU Landfill Directive is to ensure as far as possible that the legislative provisions are in place and that waste producers, the waste management industry and local authorities are aware of their respective obligations.
	Since the terms of the directive came into force in July 2001, the Government have introduced a number of legislative instruments to implement the requirements, including:
	The Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2002
	The Landfill (England and Wales) Amendment Regulations 2004
	The Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003
	The Landfill (Scheme Year and Maximum Landfill Amount) Regulations 2004
	Legislation covering similar ground in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	In addition, the Landfill Allowances and Trading Scheme Regulations 2004 have been laid before Parliament and there will shortly be a consultation on the Landfill (England and Wales) Regulations 2005.
	For over 10 years, representatives of waste producers and the waste management industry, among others, have been members of a landfill directive stakeholders group. Initially, this was to help develop the waste acceptance criteria and other aspects of the then draft directive and subsequently to advise on implementation issues. Also, the Hazardous Waste Forum was established by the Government in December 2002, to bring together key stakeholders, including waste producers, the waste management industry and local authorities, to advise on the way forward on the management of hazardous waste.
	In addition, there has been six consultation exercises on different aspects of the Landfill Directive, with, as mentioned above, a seventh about to start. Ministers and Government officials have also spoken at many events, some organised by industry groups, some by independent organisations like the Parliamentary Sustainable Waste Group and Envirowise.
	The Environment Agency, which is responsible for regulating this legislation, has issued a number of guidance notes covering many aspects of the various provisions.

Milk

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total milk quota was for (a) 1994–95 and (b) 2003–04 for (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) England.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows:
	
		Total milk quota (litres)
		
			  United Kingdom England 
		
		
			 1994–95 14,164,477,065 10,194,162,140 
			 2003–04 14,186,064,337 9,660,415,381

Milk

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the rules relating to the transfer of milk quota from one year to the next on farmers who marginally exceed their quota; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: We consider the milk quota system to be an unnecessary burden on farmers and one which adds considerably to their costs. As a result we make the trading of quota as simple as possible in order to minimise that burden. For example, we have broken the link between quotas and land in order to simplify the system further for milk producers. Further reform of the dairy sector, including the removal of the quota system, remains our long-term aim.

National Parks

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic impact of the Single Farm Payment on National Parks (a) individually and (b) collectively.

Alun Michael: An assessment of the economic impact of the Single Payment Scheme in England has been placed in the House of Commons' Library (and is available on the Defra website). While data are not available to enable specifically on impacts within the National Parks, the report contains analysis relating to cattle and sheep farms in the less favoured areas, which is the predominant farm type in National Parks.

Orchards

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department will confirm the definition of orchards.

Alun Michael: Commercial orchards remain ineligible for the Single Payment Scheme as permanent crops. In August this year we commissioned the Central Science Laboratory to research possible criteria for inclusion of traditional (dual use) orchards in the Single Payment Scheme. On 2 November the report was published and the results are now available on the Defra website www.defra.gov.uk.
	Based on this report we are drawing up simple criteria in conjunction with EN, RPA and RDS and we plan to share them shortly with interested parties. These criteria will need to be shown to the Commission before being finalised.

Orchards

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a committee has been set up to determine the appropriate definition of a traditional orchard.

Alun Michael: In August this year we commissioned the Central Science Laboratory to research possible criteria for inclusion of traditional (dual use) orchards in the Single Payment Scheme. On 2 November the report was published and the results are now available on the Defra website www.defra.gov.uk.
	Based on this report we are drawing up simple criteria in conjunction with EN, RPA and RDS and we plan to share them shortly with interested parties. These criteria will need to be shown to the Commission before being finalised.

Organic Farming

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much has been paid to farmers in Yorkshire and the Humber to convert to organic farming since 1997;
	(2)  how many acres of land were farmed organically in Yorkshire and the Humber in 1997; and how many are now.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested for the years from 2000 to 2003 is set out in the following table. Information for earlier years is not available in the form requested.
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 
			  Hectares Claim value (£) Hectares Claim value (£) Hectares Claim value (£) Hectares Claim value (£) 
		
		
			 Humberside 595 85,126 915 92,017 1,153 80,297 1,263 69,575 
			 North Yorkshire 2,431 285,335 4,089 431,894 4,885 405,880 5,067 297,754 
			 South Yorkshire 268 41,612 246 18,014 302 19,991 329 18,628 
			 West Yorkshire 261 30,239 406 39,200 388 20,744 388 11,606 
			 Total 3,555 442,311 5,657 581,125 6,727 526,912 7,047 397,563

Pesticides

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) reported cases of and (b) successful prosecutions for breaches of maximum residue levels from pesticides there have been in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: The UK's surveillance programme for pesticide residues in food is overseen by the independent Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC). In 2003, 4,071 samples of imported or UK-produced food were tested for up to 149 different pesticide residues. The Maximum Residue Level (MRL) was exceeded in 27 (0.7 per cent.) samples. For previous years, the percentage of exceedances is similar, at around 1 per cent. All the results are available on the PRC's website at www.prc.org.
	MRLs are not safety limits. Statutory Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) have been established for many thousands of individual pesticides in individual crops. The purpose of MRLs is to regulate trade in treated food. They indicate that any pesticide was applied to crops or foodstuffs in accordance with the conditions of use set by the UK regulator, the Pesticides Safety Directorate, or equivalent organisations overseas. They are always set below, often far below, safety limits. The safety limit depends on many factors, which include the properties of the pesticide, the amount of residue, amount of food being consumed and whether this is in a single meal or over a longer period, and the body weight of the consumer (e.g. adult, child, infant).
	In all cases where an MRL is exceeded, a risk assessment is carried out. The conclusion was that none of the exceedances in 2003 was likely to be of concern for consumer health.
	Where there is evidence of repeated exceedances of an MRL or the use of a pesticide on a crop for which the pesticide is not approved, a targeted enforcement campaign is carried out. An enforcement campaign has been carried out for the last three years testing for MRL's on winter lettuce. Winter lettuce grown in the UK under glass is particularly prone to fungal attack during the cool damp winter months and there are only a limited number of products approved for disease control.
	Over the last three years, the enforcement campaign has revealed that there have been 57 samples of lettuce containing pesticide residues over the MRL. This is made up of;
	27 samples (18 per cent. of the total samples taken) in 2001–02,
	16 (10.8 per cent.) in 2002–03, and
	14 (8.7 per cent.) in 2003–04.
	Although a number of enforcement actions have been taken including warning letters, educational visits and the issuing of enforcement notices, the evidence obtained (and in particular the risk to human health), has not supported any prosecution.

Press Officers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many press officers are employed in her Department; and how many were employed in each year since 1996–97.

Alun Michael: Defra was set up in June 2001. Figures relating to numbers of press officers employed by the organisations whose functions were subsumed into the new department would not correspond accurately to the distribution and scope of the present work areas. Year-on-year comparisons since that date are as follows:
	
		
			 As at June: Press officers 
		
		
			 2001 22 
			 2002 22 
			 2003 22 
			 2004 18 
		
	
	The numbers do vary within any year, and for instance at 1 November 2004 the number was 23.

Public Bodies

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the implications for (a) the number of jobs, (b) costs and (c) savings of integrating executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies within her Department.

Alun Michael: Our current focus in this area is on bringing together three bodies to create a new organisation as a major element of Defra's Modernising Rural Delivery programme. This will lead to the establishment of a new independent Integrated Agency which will bring together English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and much of the Rural Development Service which is a part of core Defra.
	This intention was set out by the Secretary of State in her statement in July on the Rural Strategy 2004. Work currently in hand includes:
	(a) development of a future profile of headcounts,
	(b) work to refine initial estimates that put the total main investment costs required to implement the programme at approximately £40 million in total,
	(c) preparation of detailed plans to realise the efficiency gains set out in the Department's recently published Efficiency Technical Note. These are planned to rise to £13 million per year by 2007–08.

Radioactive Waste

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the current EURATOM discussions on methods of disposal of radioactive waste in respect of its implications for the work of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission's draft directive on radioactive waste management is not currently under active discussion. The Government opposed the draft directive principally because it could have prejudiced the work of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management which will make recommendations on the most appropriate long-term radioactive waste management option for the United Kingdom. A number of other member states also oppose the directive with the result that it does not command the necessary qualified majority.

Departmental Policy Announcements

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects further announcements to be made on (a) cross compliance, (b) use of the national reserve, (c) cross-border holdings, (d) common land, (e) SPS appeals procedures, (f) lost and delayed Rural Payments Agency information statements, (g) ex-gratia payments and historical claims, (h) the LWDS and Slaughter Premium Scheme, (i) EPS co-efficient in 2001 with reference to foot and mouth disease, (j) countryside stewardship and set aside and (k) detailed non-food crop and general set aside rules for 2005.

Alun Michael: Announcements on cross compliance and the use of the national reserve were made on 2 November. We will be making announcements on the other issues as soon as they are resolved, which in some cases is expected to be quite soon.

Rural Services Review

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many copies of Rural Services Review 2004 were printed; what the cost was of the (a) printing and (b) preparation, including design and writing of the review; how many copies were distributed (i) unsolicited and (ii) otherwise; at what cost in each case; and how many earlier editions of the review have been produced.

Alun Michael: The Rural Services Review, published on 1 November 2004, continues the commitment from the Rural White Paper "Our Countryside: the future" to inform rural people how they can ensure fair access to public services for their community. The Rural Services Review replaces the Rural Services Standard, a more formal and "official" document that was published in 2002 and 2003. It has already resulted in considerable positive responses at regional and local level, often in respect of examples quoted in the text which show how policies are often being delivered very successfully in rural areas. Our purpose is to spread good practice about "what works" and to stimulate innovation in rural areas.
	The total cost of production and distribution of the Rural Services Review is set out in the following table:
	
		Cost of Rural Services Review
		
			   £ 
			  Supplier Final Spend (+ vat) 
		
		
			 Design Stairway Communications 9,814 plus 383 
			   Total = 10,197 
			 Print (50,000 run)  17,800 (no vat charged) 
			 Distribution RSR Solicited—90 (2)14,000 
			  Unsolicited—30, 136  
			 Copywriting COI 15,540 
			 Photography Various (2)3,315 
			 Proof reading COI 324 
			 Staff costs  (3)22,864 
			 Total  (2)84,040 
		
	
	(2) These costs are based upon estimates as final invoices have not yet been received.
	(3) Defra staff costs for this project were £22,864. This figure is based upon average pay rates, by grade and location and includes accommodation overheads.
	The total production, distribution and staff costs give a unit cost for the Rural Services Review of £1.68 a copy.
	The Rural Services Review came about as a consequence of the evaluation of the Rural Services Standard, which took place during 2003. The review builds upon the recommendations of the independent evaluation report produced by the University of Gloucester. A copy of this report is available on the Defra website at www.defra.gov.uk/rural/pdfs/rss_review.pdf.
	The Rural Services Review identifies key standards that affect people living and working in the countryside and illustrates the difference the standards can make, through the use of case studies. Copies of the review are available through Defra publications (08459 556000) or online at www.defra.gov.uk/rural/services.

Salisbury plain

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when funding for the Salisbury Plain Life Project will cease; and what funding streams and programmes will succeed it.

Ben Bradshaw: The project formally finishes 30 September 2005. All partner costs are paid in full at the time expenditure is incurred while match funding provided under the LIFE Nature regulation is paid in instalments, the final instalment (approximately 30 per cent. of the total funding) being paid following submission to the Commission of final project reports and audited accounts.
	Future management work on the Salisbury Plain project may be eligible for funding under a number of funding streams and programmes, and although no specific funding has so far been secured discussions between English Nature and the relevant partners and agencies is on-going.

Salisbury plain

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expected annual expenditure by each of the partners is in each year of the planned life of the Salisbury Plain Life Project; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows the official project budget sheet figures derived from the life project bid document. Totals for each partner contribution have been divided by four to give an estimated figures for annual spend. The exchange rate when these figures were submitted was €1.69/£1.
	
		
			 Partner Estimated annual costs per annum per partner (€) 
		
		
			 1. Applicant's share of project costs  (English Nature) 63,439 
			 2. Community contribution requested 435,340 
			 3. Defence Estates 298,354 
			 4. Defence Evaluation Research Agency 51,154 
			 5. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds 15,708 
			 6. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology 1,600 
			 7. Butterfly Conservation 5,085

Single Farm Payments

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expected payment date is for the single farm payments in May 2005; and under what circumstances this payment would be delayed until April 2006.

Alun Michael: The European Regulations designate May 2005 as the deadline for receipt of claims, not as a payment day. The regulations provide for the single payments for 2005 to be made between December 2005 and June 2006. Our objective is to make payments as early as possible within that period.

Single Farm Payments

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will make a decision about how the benefit of common rights will be allocated when calculating single farm payments to commoners; what further consultation she plans with (a) verderers and (b) commoners; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: There is ongoing consideration of this complex issue and an announcement will be made as soon as possible. In August a meeting was held with commons interests, including representations from the New Forest, and those present were invited to submit further observations. No further formal consultation is planned.

Departmental Policies (South Dorset)

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the South Dorset constituency.

Alun Michael: Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. A summary of some our achievements to date can be found at http://defra/corporate/achievements.htm. I am confident that the South Dorset constituency will have benefited from these. For example, we are committed, through our national strategy for waste, to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003–04, and 25 per cent. by 2005–06. The county of Dorset, one of the early high performers on recycling, continues to make a substantial contribution to achieving national recycling targets. The county's recycling performance in 2002–03, the most recent year for which data are available, was 27 per cent., against the national average for that year of 14.5 per cent.
	Bathing water quality has improved along the Purbeck and Weymouth/Portland coast over the last seven years. In 1997, only nine of the 14 identified bathing waters, stretching from Shell Bay in the east to Portland in the west, met the most stringent standards of the EC Bathing Water Directive. By 2004, all bar one passed these standards, which are necessary to fulfil the water quality criteria of the international Blue Flag award. These improvements reflect Defra's policy to improve coastal water and raise compliance with the EC Bathing Water Directive.
	Last month I announced that Dorset would be one of seven rural pathfinders in England. The rural pathfinder initiative is a key part of the Government's Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. The Dorset rural pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes as well as testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses.
	Defra provides comprehensive statistical information. The following web address will take my hon. Friend directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp.

Special Advisers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b) committees and (c) strategy groups each unpaid adviser (i) belongs to, (ii) advises and (iii) works alongside.

Alun Michael: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly) on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1380W.

Sugar Regime

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to ensure that UK sugar producers will not be disadvantaged by the reform of the EU Sugar Regime.

Alun Michael: The Government's aim is to secure a more economically rational and market-based sugar regime consistent with our international trade and development obligations and our wider sustainability objectives. A sugar reform which meets these conditions ought to be to the advantage of everyone.

Sustainable Agriculture

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will break down by programme the budget set by her Department for public expenditure on sustainable agriculture and livestock products for financial years (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06.

Alun Michael: The Department's spend on sustainable agriculture forms part of the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, which includes the co-ordination of the programme to implement the Single Farm Payment in England.
	A wide range of departmental activities contribute to the outcomes of the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 255W, which provided a breakdown of the new funding for this strategy.
	Budgets have not yet been confirmed for 2005–06. For 2004–05, the programme budget directly focussed on the co-ordination of sustainable agriculture and livestock products is as follows:
	
		
			 Programme budgets 2004–05 (£000) 
		
		
			 Livestock Industry Forums (Red Meat Industry Forum and Dairy Supply Chain Forum) (4)2,228 
			 Fertilisers and Nutrient Management Programmes 428 
			 School Milk Top Up Scheme (5)500 
			 Meat and Livestock Commission (includes Commissioners' expenses and information provision) 465 
			 Livestock Projects Support (for example Consultancy) 322 
			 SFFS Regional Implementation (6)1,670 
			 CAP Reform Implementation (Single Farm Payment) 1,650 
			 Sustainable Agriculture Policy/ Projects Support (for example Consultancy) 235 
			 Total for Directorate 7,498 
		
	
	(4) This includes the Department of Trade and Industry contribution to the funding of the Red Meat Industry Forum. In 2004–05 this is £524,000.
	(5) The School Milk Top Up Scheme is equally funded by Defra, Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills. This funding is the Defra element only.
	(6) An additional £1,500,000 (outside the single pot) has been made available to the Regional Development Agencies during 2004–05. The other £170,000 provides top up funding for the Government Offices in the Regions.

Water Framework Directive

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effects of the Water Framework Directive on the rural economy

Elliot Morley: The costs and benefits of the Water Framework Directive and likely effects on different sectors are examined in the updated partial regulatory impact assessment which was published in Defra's "Third Consultation Paper on the Implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)" in August 2003. The assessment covers analysis of impacts on key sectors which contribute to the rural economy.
	This partial regulatory impact assessment includes the current estimates of costs and benefits. However, the Water Framework Directive introduces a long term strategic planning process and many of the details are yet to be worked out. Monitoring of current water status and economic analysis on cost-effective measures to meet objectives will provide further information, and Defra will assess the scope for updating this RIA from 2005.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Regional Referendum

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what complaints the Electoral Commission have received concerning the conduct of the regional referendum.

Peter Viggers: The Chairman informs me that the Electoral Commission has received representations on a range of matters relating to the north-east referendums. These include the role of the Commission in commenting on the questions and designating lead campaigners, and the activities of local and central government in the referendum campaigns. The Commission's statutory reports on the administration of the regional and local referendums will take into account the comments it has received.

Regional Referendum

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission intends to report on the conduct of the referendum in the north-east.

Peter Viggers: The Chairman informs me that the Electoral Commission intends to publish the reports required by section 5 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 on the administration of the regional and local referendums held in the north-east earlier this month in summer 2005.

TREASURY

Civil Service Job Cuts

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on proposed job cuts in the civil service.

Paul Boateng: There will be an overall gross reduction in posts of 84,150 by 2008 and Departments will pursue these reductions in line with business need. Departments are currently developing their plans.

Departmental advertising costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 1997–98, broken down by contractor;

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (2) what the total expenditure on advertising by his Department was in 2003–04.

Stephen Timms: In relation to the years up to 2001–02, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 7 May 2002, Official Report, column 36W. In the last two financial years, HM Treasury's only spending on advertising has been for the purpose of recruitment. Detailed costs of advertising, as distinct from other recruitment expenses, or analysis by advertising contractor, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury, the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise do not receive significant commercial funding for activities in the five categories to which the question refers. A review of accounting records indicates that, across the three departments, total income from outside commercial bodies in the five categories was less than £50,000 in each of the last two financial years. The detailed analysis sought could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Earnings

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the distribution of earnings is for those earning (a) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall and (b) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed in (i) Scotland and (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland, broken down by (A) male, (B) female and (C) all workers.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Michael Moore, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the distribution of earnings is for those earning (a) under the point below which 10 per cent. of earners fall and (b) the point above which 10 per cent. of earners exceed in (i) Scotland (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland, broken down by (A) male, (B) female and (C) all workers. I am replying in his absence. (198285).
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings tables. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	These data are available on the National Statistics web site:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2004_inc/2004_work_LA.pdf
	We recommend that you use data supplied for full time employees.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn schemes, but because of its sampling frame, it has difficulty capturing data on people with very low pay. It is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive. A number of estimates have been removed from the published tables for these reasons.

Earnings

Michael Moore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) average and (b) median (i) weekly and (ii) hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime is of (1) Managers and Senior, (2) Professional, (3) Associate Professional and Technical, (4) Administrative and Secretarial, (5) Skilled Trades, (6) Personal Service, (7) Sales and Customer Service, (8) Process, Plant and Machine Operatives and (9) Elementary occupational groups, broken down by (x) male, (y) female and (z) all workers.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Michael Moore, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question what the (a) average and (b) median (i) weekly and (ii) hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime is of the occupational groups (1) Managers and Senior, (2) Professional, (3) Associate Professional and Technical, (4) Administrative and Secretarial, (5) Skilled Trades, (6) Personal Service, (7) Sales and Customer Service, (8) Process, Plant and Machine Operatives and (9) Elementary, broken down by (x) male, (y) female and (z) all workers. I am replying in his absence. (198286).
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for Annual Survey of Hours and Earning tables. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	These data are available on the statistics web site: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_labour/ASHE_2004 inc/2004_occupation.pdf
	We recommend that you use data for full time employees.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn schemes, but because of its sampling frame, it has difficulty capturing data on people with very low pay. It is therefore likely to under-represent relatively low paid staff earning below the tax threshold.
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive. A number of estimates have been removed from the published tables for these reasons.

European Union

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the research undertaken by his officials on the cost-benefit analysis of European Union membership; in which sections of his Department the officials concerned work; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: There is a broad consensus among academics that UK membership of the European Union promotes growth, competitiveness and employment through the operation of the internal market. The Government continually consider the direct and indirect costs and benefits of specific legislative proposals, in the context of European policy development.

European Union

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with his colleagues in the European Union concerning the future of the UK rebate.

Stephen Timms: Discussion of EU economic and financial matters, including the EU Budget, formally occurs at ECOFIN meetings. The first discussion on the Commission's own resources report and proposals for revising the Own Resources Decision will be discussed at the ECOFIN meeting of Tuesday 16 November. The Government's position on this has already been made clear in the Explanatory Memorandum presented to the House on the Commission's proposals.

Financial Services Authority

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the discharge by the Financial Services Authority of its statutory objective of promoting financial literacy.

Stephen Timms: The FSA has been undertaking work to promote public understanding of the financial system since its inception and a number of resources have been developed and distributed, to contribute to this statutory objective.
	Building on this, in November 2003 the FSA set up the Financial Capability Steering Group to oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy to improve financial capability. The Minister for Pensions and I are members of that group, along with representatives from the financial services industry, the consumer, voluntary and education sectors, employers and the media. The strategy is being taken forward through a series of seven priority projects, each of which is supported by a Working Group. To date, proposals for pilot work have been brought forward by three groups (Schools, Workplace and Borrowing), three are to make proposals to the Steering Group next month (Families, Young Adults and Retirement) and the final group (Generic Advice) will submit proposals early in 2005.

Fuel Duty

Alan Reid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much unrebated fuel duty was paid on fuel sold in each of the islands within the United Kingdom during the latest year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Hydrocarbon oils duty revenue figures are published by HM Customs and Excise in the Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin, a copy of which can be found on the UK Trade Information website www.uktradeinfo.com. Figures are collected for the UK as a whole and are not available by region.

Guaranteed Minimum Pension

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs of indexing a guaranteed minimum pension for public sector schemes to the National Insurance Fund.

Stephen Timms: None—the National Insurance Fund has no liability for indexing Guaranteed Minimum Pensions (GMPs).

Incomes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) women and (b) men are in the top five per cent. of income earners in the UK.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many (a) women and (b) men are currently in the top five per cent of income earners in the UK. I am replying in his absence. (196017)
	Average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) and are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period, by their place of work. This is the standard definition used for ASHE tables. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	There are 822,000 people in the top five per cent of gross weekly earners, of which 689,000 are males and 133,000 are females. The 95th percentile of gross weekly earnings in 2004 is £1060.7.

IT consultants (Southend)

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 153W, on Customs and Excise, how long the contracts in place for IT consultants contracted to work for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at Alexander House, Southend-on-Sea are; how much the IT consultants are paid; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The average length of contract for IT consultants currently contracted to work for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at Alexander House, Southend-on-Sea is four months. The average daily rate for these consultants is £551.

Life Expectancy (Pendle)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the life expectancy (a) was in (i) 1987 and (ii) 1997 and (b) is of (A) men and (B) women in Pendle.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from John Pullinger to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the life expectancy (a) was in (i) 1987 and (ii) 1997 and (b) is of (A) men and (B) women in Pendle. I am replying in his absence. (197757)
	Figures for life expectancy at birth for the United Kingdom and its constituent countries are published annually by the Government Actuary's Department. Figures for life expectancy at birth for English local authorities are published annually by ONS. Both sets of figures are based on three-year rolling averages and are calculated separately for males and females. The most recent available figures are for 2001–2003. Figures covering the years requested are given in the attached table.
	
		Life expectancy at birth by sex, for England and Wales(7) and Pendle local authority(8)
		
			  Life expectancy in years 
			 Males England and Wales Pendle 
		
		
			 1986–1988 72.37 71.2 
			 1996–1998 74.73 74.1 
			 2001–2003 76.17 74.9 
			 Females   
			 1986–1988 78.09 77.0 
			 1996–1998 79.73 78.4 
			 2001–2003 80.67 79.7 
		
	
	(7) Including non-residents.
	2 Usual residents of this area.

Lisbon Strategy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the UK's progress in the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy.

Stephen Timms: The Government are committed to economic reform at home and in Europe, and my recent answers on 4 October 2004, Official Report, columns 1790–1791W) and on 21 October 2004 Official Report, columns 884–885W, summarised the measures the Government are taking to increase employment and productivity in Europe. These issues were also debated on the Floor of the House on 13 September 2004.
	As set out during that debate, the UK Government remains a strong advocate of economic reform in Europe, and continues to work closely with other Member States and the European Commission to promote structural reform, including by taking forward the January 2004 Four Presidencies initiative on regulatory reform and the principal recommendations contained in the spring 2004 joint statements with France and Germany on promoting enterprise and innovation.
	The Government produces a report each year summarising the progress made in reforming product and capital markets over the preceding 12 months, as part of the "Cardiff" process. Copies of the latest UK report "Report on Progress on Reform of Product and Capital Markets: United Kingdom 2003–04" were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 18 October this year.
	The Government also produce an annual Progress Report on the UK's economic reform priorities, which sets out the measures and reforms the Government believe are required to deliver greater economic prosperity across Europe and deliver the aims of the Lisbon agenda. The latest version of this document is also available in the House Libraries.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the former Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Ruth Kelly) on 19 November 2003, Official Report, column 1097W, giving the costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials for the years 1997–98 to 2002–03. The costs for 2003–4 were £570 council tax and £162,858 running costs. 2003–04 running costs include £69,383 of rent paid to the Cabinet Office, based on capital charging which replaced Property Service assessed rents as the methods of accounting for Crown Freehold properties on 1 April 1998. There were no separate charges for maintenance and renovation.

New Jobs (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new jobs have been created in the London borough of Wandsworth since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about jobs created in Wandsworth. I am replying in his absence. (198189)
	While statistics of new jobs created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes, in numbers of jobs, from year to year.
	The attached table shows the information requested, relating to jobs in Wandsworth, for 1997 and the latest year available, 2002.
	
		Number of employee jobs(8) with workplace in Wandsworth local authority: 1997 and 2002
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 Number of employee jobs  
			 1997 91,800 
			 2002 105,600 
			   
			 Change from 1997 to 2002(9) 13,800 
		
	
	(8) Excludes self-employed jobs.
	(9) The 1997 to 2002 change has been rounded to the nearest hundred separately from rounded levels for 1997 and 2002.
	Source:
	1997; Annual Employment Survey, rescaled 2002; Annual Business Inquiry.

Stamp Duty

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 154W, on stamp duty, how many residential property transactions between £60,000 and £150,000 have qualified for disadvantaged area relief in each year since the relief was introduced.

Stephen Timms: The number of residential property transactions that have qualified for disadvantaged area relief in England and Wales are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Period Number of residential transactions (thousand) 
		
		
			 November 2001-March 2002 14 
			 April 2002-March 2003 60 
			 April 2003-March 2004 78

Tax Credits

Frank Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the tax credit system to parents of special needs young adults who move from five day a week schooling to two day a week college courses.

Dawn Primarolo: The child tax credit regulations do not impose any requirements regarding full-time education for children under the age of 16. Young people between the ages of 16–19 are required to engage in full-time education. The rules require a person to undertake on average at least 12 hours structured tuition during a week in normal term-time—there is no requirement to attend college for a specific number of days a week. There are no plans at present to review the rules defining full-time education for child tax credit purposes.

Tax Credits

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time between HM Inland Revenue receiving and responding to an appeal against a notice of decision on (a) child tax credit, (b) working tax credit and (c) pension tax credit has been in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue usually acknowledges tax credits appeals within two working days of receipt.
	Matters relating to pension credit are for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Tripartite Social Summit

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the conclusions were of the Tripartite Social Summit.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	The Tripartite Social Summit—co-chaired by Mr. Jan Peter Balkenende, President of the European Council and Mr. Romano Prodi, President of the Commission—was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, along with ministerial colleagues from Luxembourg and the Netherlands and representatives of the European Social Partners and the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs. Wim Kok gave a presentation of key points from the recent report of the high level group he chaired, which was set up to identify priorities for action to meet the Lisbon targets for employment and economic reform. While there were no formal conclusions from the summit, the exchanges of views included agreement on the need to add a new impetus to the implementation of the Lisbon strategy, in line with the recommendations of the Kok report.

UK Competitiveness

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how his Department plans to promote UK competitiveness in the EU.

John Healey: The Government are committed to raising the rate of UK productivity growth over the economic cycle, improving competitiveness and narrowing the productivity gap with our major industrial competitors. Historically these have included the US, France and Germany, although on the output per worker measure, the gap with Germany has now closed. The Government's approach to achieving this target is set out in Productivity in the UK: The Evidence and the Government's Approach, which was published alongside the 2000 Pre-Budget Report.
	The Government report on steps to increase productivity in every Budget and Pre-Budget Report.

VAT (Sports)

Andy Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received about the VAT liabilities of national governing bodies of sports; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In the last year a small number of letters from hon. Members have been received by Treasury Ministers about the liability of affiliation fees paid by sports clubs to their governing body.
	Supplies of services closely linked with, and essential to sport are exempt from VAT where these services are supplied by a non-profit making body to individuals. Subject to these same conditions, VAT exemption also applies to sports governing bodies and the services they supply in return for the affiliation fees they charge to their members.
	Where membership of a sports governing body consists of sports clubs, affiliation fees are exempt where the individual sportsman or woman is the most direct beneficiary of the affiliation, and where this is reflected in the basis on which the affiliation fee is calculated by the governing body. When this is not the case the affiliation fee is taxable at the standard rate of VAT.

Working Parents

Michael Wills: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the percentage of people who are in employment who are parents of children aged (a) under five and (b) over five.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr Michael Wills, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about parents in employment. I am replying in his absence. (196029)
	Of the total population in employment in the three months ending May 2004: 12.3% had one or more children aged under five resident with them; 23.5% had one or more children over five; and among these two groups 5.2% of the total in employment had one or more children in both age groups.
	Dependent children are those aged under 16 and those aged 16–18 who are in full-time education and have never married.
	These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.

SCOTLAND

Asylum Seekers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  if he will list local authority net current expenditure on asylum seekers for each local authority in Scotland in each year since 1991–92;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on how local authorities in Scotland have been compensated for expenditure on asylum since 1998.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available in the format requested. The Home Office took responsibility for payment of grants to local authorities supporting asylum seekers on 1 April 1999. Local authorities are able to claim grant from the Home Office within specified criteria to meet their costs of supporting asylum seekers.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has not employed any external consultants to deal with the press and public relations in the Scotland Office since 2002.

Consultants

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent in each year since 2002 on employing (a) external management consultants and (b) external human resources consultants; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has not employed any external management or external human resources consultants since 2002. However, one company was employed in 2003–04 to organise a Senior Civil Service Assessment Centre, at a cost of £10,044.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the 30 largest contracts awarded by his Department from (a) May 2001 to April 2002, (b) May 2002 to April 2003, (c) May 2003 to April 2004 and (d) May 2004 to the latest date for which information is available, indicating in each case (i) the values of the contracts and (ii) the companies with which the contracts were placed.

Anne McGuire: The following contracts have been awarded by the Scotland Office:
	
		
			  Company Function 
		
		
			 2001–02 Serco Cleaning 
			 2002–03 Tradition Cleaning 
			 2003–04 Group 4 Security 
		
	
	The value of these contracts is commercially confidential. No new contracts have been awarded in the current financial year.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations which previously held contracts with his Department won new contracts (a) at the culmination of the existing contracts and (b) after a period of inactivity with his Department in each of the past four years.

Anne McGuire: Two organisations were awarded new contracts at the culmination of their existing contract:
	Group 4—Security: contract awarded in February 2004
	Serco—Cleaning: contract awarded in March 2002
	No new contracts have been awarded to organisations after a period of inactivity.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations have won new contracts with his Department in each of the past three years.

Anne McGuire: The following new contracts have been awarded in each of the past three years:
	
		
			  Company Function 
		
		
			 2001–02 Nil — 
			 2002–03 Tradition Cleaning 
			 2003–04 Nil — 
		
	
	No new contracts have been awarded in the current financial year.

Departmental IT

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in place to raise this level.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has no Open Source Software (OSS) systems in operation at present.
	The procurement of software solutions follows the 'level playing field' Government OSS Policy. This does not require the raising of levels of OSS usage in Government, rather that Government considers OSS solutions alongside proprietary ones in IT procurements; and that contracts should be awarded on a value for money, case-by-case basis. Version 2 of this policy was published on 28 October 2004 and can be viewed at www.govtalk.gov.uk

WALES

Asylum Seekers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  if he will list local authority net current expenditure on asylum seekers for each local authority in Wales in each year since 1991–92;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on how local authorities in Wales are compensated for expenditure on asylum.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available in the format requested. The Home Office took responsibility for payment of grants to local authorities supporting asylum seekers on 1 April 1999. Local authorities are able to claim grant from the Home Office within specified criteria to meet their costs of supporting asylum seekers.

Call Centres

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effects on the Welsh economy of companies moving call centres from Wales; and what discussions he has had on this with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly.

Don Touhig: The Welsh economy remains in a healthy state with the employment rate at an historically high level and unemployment at its lowest for a generation. Around 24,000 people are employed in call centres in Wales, representing one of the largest employment groups in Wales. To help improve the competitive position of this important sector, the Wales Contact Centre Forum has been established with Assembly funding.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the 30 largest contracts awarded by his Department between (a) May 2001 and April 2002, (b) May 2002 and April 2003, (c) May 2003 and April 2004, (d) May 2004, and the latest date for which figures are available, indicating in each case (i) the values of the contracts and (ii) the companies with which the contracts were placed.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office has no executive functions. The National Assembly for Wales provided support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, and DCA has provided these services since then. Accordingly, up to 31 March 2004 the Assembly awarded any required contracts on behalf of the Wales Office, and since then, DCA has done so. These contracts have been for works such as office cleaning, maintenance and minor building works.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations which previously held contracts with his Department (a) won new contracts at the culmination of the existing contracts and (b) won new contracts after a period of inactivity with his Department in each of the past four years.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office has no executive functions. The National Assembly for Wales provided support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, and DCA has provided these services since then. Accordingly, up to 31 March 2004 the Assembly awarded any required contracts on behalf of the Wales Office, and since, the DCA has done so. These contracts have been for work such as office cleaning, maintenance and minor building works.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations have won new contracts with his Department in each of the past three years.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office has no executive functions. The National Assembly for Wales provided support service functions to the Wales Office until 31 March 2004, and DCA has provided these services since then. Accordingly, up to 31 March 2004 the Assembly awarded any required contracts on behalf of the Wales Office, and since the, DCA has done so. These contracts have been for work such as office cleaning, maintenance and minor building works.

Equine Passports

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on equine passports and the effect of the regulation on the population of wild Welsh cob ponies; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
	Implementation of the European Commission Decision on passports for equines is a matter for Defra in England. In Wales, this Decision will be implemented by the National Assembly for Wales.
	I am advised that the ponies living on the hills and commons in Wales are semi-feral and are owned by individuals. It will be the responsibility of owners to ensure that they hold a passport for each of their ponies.

EU Maps

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make representations to the European Commission on ensuring that Wales is included in all relevant maps produced by the Commission.

Don Touhig: Wales Office Ministers, in our dealings with the European Commission, always ensure that European legislation and policies reflect the needs of Wales, as evidenced by the fact that Wales is currently benefiting from the largest ever package of support under the European Structural Funds Programme.

Public Relations (Expenditure)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money his Department has spent on public relations in each of the last three years; and how much is projected to be spent in each of the next three years.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office runs no publicity campaigns and hence has spent nothing on public relations in the last three years. This is also expected to be the case in the next three years.

St. David's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the United States Administration regarding next year's St. David's Day celebrations.

Don Touhig: None. The former US ambassador has generously hosted a St. David's Day reception in London, which has been very well received since its inception.

Wales Office

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes in expenditure led to the changes in the total cost of the Wales Office between April 1999 and April 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Detailed information about the cost of the Office since 1999 can be found in the Wales Office Annual Report 2004 (Cm 6228).

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Computer Workstations

Mike Gapes: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many computer workstations for staff there were in the Serjeant at Arms Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: Departmental records show that at the end of the 200304 financial year the Serjeant at Arms Department had 379 personal computers and 45 laptops. These figures exclude the number of personal computers and laptops used in the Parliamentary Communications Directorate (PCD) which is the main IT Directorate for both Houses of Parliament. Due to the nature of their work, some PCD staff have more than one personal computer or laptop and others are not allocated to specific individuals since they are either shared or used for system administration, management and testing purposes. Figures for years prior to 200304 are unavailable.

Computer Workstations

Douglas Hogg: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what cost benefit analysis has been carried out on the use of computer workstations by staff in the Library of the House.

Archy Kirkwood: Staff of the House of Commons Library have relied on the use of computer workstations since the introduction of on-line information retrieval systems in the late 1970s. Personal computers are now essential to all aspects of the work of Library staff, including information retrieval, preparation of written and on-line material for Library users, and for communicating with Library users as well as colleagues inside and outside Parliament. The Library's investment in the development and use of IS/IT systems is subject to formal appraisal.
	A recent study of computer desktops in all House of Commons departments recommended that their life could be extended from three years to four years and the Board of Management has accepted this recommendation. Future spending on IT desktop equipment will reflect this decision.

Computer Workstations

Robert Key: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what cost-benefit analysis has been carried out on the use of computer workstations by staff in the Finance and Administration Department.

Archy Kirkwood: Computer workstations are a vital part of the work of staff of the Department of Finance and Administration in connection with electronic processing, storage and retrieval of data on the House Administrative Information System (HAIS). This forms the core of the House's financial and human resource management, running payments, payroll and producing management accounts, for example.
	A recent study of computer desktops in all House of Commons departments recommended that their life could be extended from three years to four years and the Board of Management has accepted this recommendation. Future spending on IT desktop equipment will reflect this decision.

Computer Workstations

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether value for money studies are planned in respect of computer workstation procurement for the use of staff of the House.

Archy Kirkwood: Personal computers and other IT equipment are currently purchased using one of two Government procurement frameworks which have been prepared to ensure value for money. As part of our plans for the future renewal of IT equipment, the House recently began an EU procurement project for the provision of computers to Members, their staff and staff of the House, to ensure that value for money continues to be achieved. Only those staff of the House requiring computer access to undertake their work are provided with one.

Department of Finance and Administration

Douglas Hogg: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff in the Department of Finance and Administration work from home.

Archy Kirkwood: The Department of Finance and Administration has seven members of staff whose working arrangements involve an element of working from home, under flexible working arrangements introduced from 6 April 2003 under the Employment Act 2002. No staff work from home full-time, as most tasks involve handling confidential information and/or providing services to those based on the Parliamentary Estate.

Department of Finance and Administration

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans there are to relocate staff in the Finance and Administration Department outside London.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans to relocate the Department of Finance and Administration outside London. Such a move would inconvenience those who rely on the services provided by the Department, including Members and their staff.

Department of Finance and Administration

Stephen Pound: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many computer workstations for staff there were in the Finance and Administration Department in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: 207 computer workstations are currently in use by the Department of Finance and Administration: the figures in each of the two previous years are not readily available but will have been similar. This includes workstations for full-time and part-time staff based in the Department's offices, and additional workstations for training, development projects, contractors, auditors and the trade union office.

Department of Finance and Administration

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make an estimate of the potential savings of relocating staff in the Finance and Administration Department outside London.

Archy Kirkwood: There are too many variables to be able to make a realistic estimate of the potential savings of relocating staff in the Department outside London; costs, such as loss of staff, recruitment of new staff and travel costs, and savings would depend heavily on the location. The House of Commons Accommodation Strategy includes an assessment of occupancy by administrative departments of space on the parliamentary estate, and usage of office space is kept under review.

Department of Finance and Administration

Mike Gapes: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff were employed in the Finance and Administration Department and its predecessor in (a) 1974, (b) 2000 and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: Numbers of staff employed in the Department of Finance and Administration have been as follows:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 1979(10) 60 (complement) 
			 2000 131 (complement) 
			 2004 147 (average full-time equivalent) 
		
	
	(10) No published data is available before this date. This figure is taken from the first Annual Report of the Commission, and refers to the then Administration Department.

Department of the Clerk

Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff in the Department of the Clerk of the House were directly recruited from the private sector.

Archy Kirkwood: No records are kept of the previous employment of staff of the Department. Staff are recruited through open competition and national advertisement. Recruitment of committee specialists, for example, who typically serve from two to four years, reflects diverse experience and backgrounds, with such staff coming from the academic, public service, voluntary and private sectors.

Department of the Clerk

Stephen Pound: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff were employed in the Clerk's Department in (a) 1974, (b) 2000 and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: Numbers of staff employed in the Department of the
	Clerk of the House have been as follows:
	
		
			  Number of staff 
		
		
			 1979(11) 2, 3137 
			 2000 (13)272 
			 2004 (14)311 
		
	
	(11) No published data is available before this date. This figure is taken from the first Annual Report of the Commission.
	(12) Includes 28 staff in the Vote and Sales Office, at that time part of the Library, but since transferred to the Department of the Clerk of the House.
	(13) Complement
	(14) Average full-time equivalent

Department of the Clerk

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether an assessment has been made of the potential for hot desking in the Clerks' Department.

Archy Kirkwood: The pattern and nature of work activity in the Clerk's Department does not generally lend itself to hot desking. In those areas of activity where a hot desking style of working is appropriate, some provision is already made.

Department of the Clerk

Marion Roe: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many and what proportion of staff in the Clerk's Department work from home.

Archy Kirkwood: Tasks carried out by members of the Department normally require presence on the estate: as staff of the House of Commons Service, they are in the business of providing corporate services to all Members and to the House as a whole. No staff of the Department are employed on the basis of home-working. Staff may occasionally work at home on particular tasks, such as drafting.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Douglas Hogg: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff in the Department of the Serjeant at Arms work from home.

Archy Kirkwood: Some staff work from home on occasional days on particular tasks or by local agreement, with remote access to the parliamentary network. Tasks carried out by members of the Serjeant at Arms Department normally require a presence on the estate; as staff of the House of Commons Service, they provide corporate services to all Members and to the House as a whole.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he makes of the role of public services privatisation conditionalities in the provision of aid to developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK has recently published a draft policy paper for consultation on the issue of aid conditionality, Partnerships for poverty reduction: changing aid conditionality. This paper (produced jointly by DFID, HM Treasury, and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) makes a commitment to reducing the burden of conditionality while recognising the continuing relevance of conditions. After a period of consultation, DFID plans to finalise this policy statement in the first quarter of 2005.
	DFID supports a range of reforms to improve the way that public money is spent and accounted for, and the way that public services are provided, especially to poor people. We recognise the sensitivity and contested nature of many policy reforms, including the privatisation of public services. This highlights the need for careful country-specific analysis to ensure that reforms are appropriately designed, as well as strong country ownership of any such initiative. DFID's draft policy suggests that in future we should only support reforms where partner governments have had space to debateincluding where appropriate in Parliamentthe full range of policy options, and have made their own decision informed by clear evidence of the benefits to poor people. As the UK policy paper makes clear, aid terms and conditions must support, not buy reform.
	To improve the quality of policy design and implementation around issues such as privatisation, DFID continues to press for increased use of analytical tools such as Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA). By mid-2004 some 150 PSIA activities were being carried out. The results of this work are already indicating the need for a more careful use of policies such as privatisation: both in the nature of the reform of organisations, and in the need to ensure that the social protection functions of these organisations are taken into account. DFID recognises that there is a need to increase the number, and to improve the quality of PSIA, and to ensure that the results of PSIA are used effectively in the policy process. The World Bank has committed to more careful consideration of the significant distributional consequences of policies that they support. This will include greater use of PSIA to inform the policy choice. The Bank has also committed to report at the next annual meetings in 2005 on progress in the use of PSIA.

Iraq

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to encourage partner governments operating in Iraq to employ more local contractors.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has regular contact with other donors operating in Iraq, through the Iraqi Interim Government's donor co-ordination mechanisms, meetings of the Donor Committee of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq, monthly teleconferences with major donors and direct contacts with other donors in Baghdad, Basra, Amman and elsewhere. DFID technical experts work closely to support the work of the US Project Contracting Office in south-eastern Iraq. Through all these contacts, DIFD stresses the importance of Iraqi leadership of the reconstruction process, and the benefits of employing Iraqi contractors to implement programmes where appropriate and feasible.

Iraq

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received regarding delays in fulfilling contracts in Iraq due to operating restrictions under health and safety legislation; what his policy is in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the quantity of potable drinking water delivered to Basra in this context.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is not aware of any representations made about delays in fulfilling contracts in Iraq due to operating restrictions under health and safety legislation.
	Individuals and consultancy organisations contracted by DFID to work in Iraq are responsible for their own well-being and security arrangements. They are strongly advised to follow the same rules and procedures as DFID does for its own staff. This includes detailed security briefings prior to departure and upon arrival, the provision of body armour, and hostile environment training. DFID will take all reasonable steps to ensure that consultants are provided with secure accommodation in Iraq, and will provide them with suitable transport and close protection. DFID also aims to provide practical assistance on request.
	A recent survey in April/May 2004, indicated that in the Basra Governorate, 97 per cent. of households have access to safe drinking water supplies but for 22 per cent. of households this access is unstable. This compares with national average figures of 91 per cent. and 30 per cent. respectively.

Iraq

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what study his Department has made of whether extra costs have been incurred in Iraq by donor countries through employment of non-local workers; and whether workers employed locally by UK and EU contractors are subject to European Union Health and Safety regulations.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has not undertaken an assessment of whether other donor countries have incurred extra costs through the employment by donors of non-local workers in Iraq. DFID does, however, encourage other donors and contractors to employ Iraqis to help implement programmes where appropriate and feasible.
	Local law and employment regulations normally take precedence over international regulations with regard to workers employed locally by the UK and EU contractors. Most international companies apply a corporate code, which tends to reflect EU/US standards of health and safety.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance he proposes to offer to the interim Iraqi Government to restore the (a) water, (b) sewage, (c) power and (d) telephone infrastructure, following recent military action against Falluja.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Interim Iraqi Government (IIG) is leading on reconstruction work in Falluja following the recent military action. A ministerial level co-ordinator has been appointed and significant funds from the Iraqi Government budget have already been set aside for this work. An Iraqi Ministry of Health assessment team visited Falluja hospital on 11 November and further assessments are planned, security permitting. The IIG is being supported by the Multi-National Force-Iraq, which also has considerable resources for immediate post-conflict reconstruction work including clearing rubble and the restoration of water, sewerage and electricity services.
	DFID is in close contact with the Interim Iraqi Government and is ready to respond positively to requests from them for help or advice. DFID is also keen to see independent assessments of the situation once it is safe for agencies to enter Falluja.

Ivory Coast

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution the UK is making to the humanitarian needs of the people of the Ivory Coast.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: During 2004, DFID has provided 1.55 million for the following humanitarian assistance in Cote d'Ivoire:
	500,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for protection and tracing activities, water and sanitation, and basic health services;
	500,000 to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for basic healthcare and immunisation activities;
	300,000 to Medecins Sans FrontieresHolland (MSF-H) for support to both primary and secondary healthcare;
	250,000 to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for regional coordination of humanitarian activities.
	DFID is in close contact with agencies working in Cote d'Ivoire. Their current concerns are principally for the security of their staff. DFID will consider any proposals they put to us as the situation develops.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the condition of refugees from Sudan, resident in Chad, with particular reference to (a) security and (b) access to water and sanitation.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UN estimates that there are approximately 200,000 Sudanese refugees in and around 11 camps within eastern Chad. The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that conditions for these refugees in and around these camps continue to improve, and that the security situation is relatively calm. Security around the camps has recently been reinforced by the deployment of gendarmes from Chad. The UNHCR has complemented this deployment by providing appropriate training.
	Access to water remains a problem for some refugees and host communities particularly in the north-eastern camps. In October, the UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) concluded that the nutritional health of Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad has stabilised and that malnutrition levels among refugee children have declined since the start of a supplementary feeding programme in August, which DFID is supporting.
	Since September 2003, DFID has committed and spent over 8.5 million to the UNHCR, the WFP, the WHO, and NGOs working in Chad for a variety of programmes. In addition, we have agreed over 1 million for provision of water and sanitation in the north-east of Chad.

ACP-EU Water Facility

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is in respect of the use of funds from the ACP-EU Water Facility to fund or support the (a) privatisation of water facilities and (b) private sector water projects.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The ACP-EU Water Facility is part of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) and is managed by the European Commission. The EDF has specific rules about how its funds can be used, in particular how the private sector can use or benefit from such funds and the need for transparent public procurement. The ACP-EU Water Facility supports pro-poor, country supported initiatives to improve water and sanitation services and manage water resources. The funds for the ACP-EU Water Facility are to be used for increasing access to water and sanitation by the poor in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
	The first call for proposals was issued on 12 November, and can be accessed through www.euwi.net or http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl. and will provide further detailed information on how it can and cannot be used for the involvement of the private sector.

ACP-EU Water Facility

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals are being (a) assessed and (b) discussed in respect of spending funds remaining in the ACP-EU Water Facility budget.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The preparation of the ACP-EU Water Facility by the European Commission as part of the 9th European Development Fund (EDF) has involved consultation with member states, NGOs and other interested parties. The EDF has specific rules about how its funds can be used, which have influenced the mechanisms elaborated for spending the ACP-EU Water Facility funds. The first call for proposals is currently being undertaken. Detailed information on how the funds can be spent is available on www.euwi.net or http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl. It is too early to know the details of any specific proposals.

Zimbabwe

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures he has proposed to alleviate the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In 200304, DFID provided 25 million for humanitarian programmes, under the auspices of the Consolidated Humanitarian Action Plan co-ordinated by the United Nations. The Government of Zimbabwe have declared that the country will not need international food aid in the period up to the next grain harvest. However, independent surveys do not support the Government's assessment that Zimbabwe enjoyed a bumper harvest this year. Although recent nutritional surveys by non-governmental organisations do not indicate a current crisis, food prices appear to be escalating in some parts of Zimbabwe, pointing to the possibility of food insecurity in coming months. Donors remain concerned and will continue to the monitor the situation closely.
	While there is no apparent need for general food distribution at this time, DFID continues to provide funds to international NGO's and the UN to provide direct help targeted at approximately 1.5 million of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Zimbabwe. This Protracted Relief Programme, costing 18 million over the next two years, will include provision of seed, fertilisers and food (particularly to AIDS affected households).

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Compact Advocacy Programme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Compact Advocacy Programme.

Estelle Morris: The Compact Advocacy Programme, carries out good work in supporting and offering advice to voluntary organisations on using the Compact in their dealings with Government, and helping them where they think the Compact has not been implemented.

Compact Advocacy Programme

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will publish her response to the Compact Advocacy Programme's criticisms of the merger of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund;
	(2)  if she will publish her response to the recommendations of the Compact Advocacy Programme as they relate to her departmental responsibilities. [R]

Estelle Morris: We will learn from the recent Compact Advocacy Programme report, but we do not intend to publish a response to it. The Compact is important for DCMS. We value and support third sector initiative and volunteering, and a high proportion of our expenditure programmes goes to support voluntary sector activity. We are disappointed that the report has little to say about the many areas in which there has been fruitful cooperation and good practice.

English Heritage

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her plans are for long-term funding for English Heritage.

Richard Caborn: No decisions have yet been taken within DCMS on individual funding allocations following the 2004 Spending Review.

Football Stadia Improvement Fund

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money has been granted by the Football Foundation in total under the Football Stadia Improvement Fund; how much each grant was worth; and what the name of the recipient was in each case.

Richard Caborn: The Football Foundation's non-charitable arm The Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) provides grant aid to clubs in the Football League, the Conference and the National League system, that wish to improve their facilities for players, officials and for spectators.
	70 million has been invested by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, in projects worth more than 100 million in the non-league and professional game.
	In total 732 projects have received grants and there are a further 49 projects currently under consideration.
	The Government monitors the decisions of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund and the Football Foundation through their representative on the Boards of these bodies. The annual accounts of the Fund and the Football Foundation are subject to internal and external audit, and are submitted to the Audit Commission.
	Details of all stadium improvement grants made to individual clubs by the Fund together with details of all grants made since July 2000 by the Football Foundation from its grass roots and community/education funds, are deposited regularly in the Library of the House.
	This information is also published in the Football Stadia Improvement Fund Annual Reports which can be accessed via www.footballfoundation.org.uk.

Gambling Bill (Hospice Lotteries)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what impact assessment she has carried out on the implications of the Gambling Bill for society lotteries, with particular reference to lotteries run by the hospice movement.

Richard Caborn: I refer my hon. Friend to chapter 7 of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) published with the Bill. Copies of the RIA were deposited in the Libraries of both Houses on 18 October 2004.

Listed Buildings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on plans to merge bodies that manage, fund and police the protection of listed buildings and sites.

Richard Caborn: There are no plans to merge any of the bodies that manage, fund and police the protection of listed buildings and sites.

Lottery Funding/Grant Bodies

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what projects have benefited from (a) the New Opportunities Fund, (b) the Community Fund and (c) other National Lottery funding sources in Newcastle-under-Lyme in each year since 1997; and how much each project received.

Estelle Morris: 162 projects have benefited from Lottery money in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997. I am arranging for a list giving their names and the value of each award received to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	This information is freely available from the Department's searchable Lottery award database at www.lottery.culture.gsi.gov.uk, which uses information supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Lottery Funding/Grant Bodies

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the merger of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.

Estelle Morris: The New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund have undergone an administrative merger and are now operating as the Big Lottery Fund. We intend to bring forward legislation to establish one new body which will replace the two existing Funds and the Millennium Commission and have responsibility for distributing out half the money from good causes from the National Lottery. A public consultation is currently taking place which will be used to help determine the direction and future funding policy of the Big Lottery Fund.

Video Games

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has held with (a) manufacturers, (b) distributers and (c) retailers of violent video games about accessibility to such games by children.

Estelle Morris: DCMS officials have had discussions with ELSPA, the video games industry trade association, and with the Video Standards Council, about recent concerns relating to violent video games. I understand that both these bodies have expressed a willingness to consider what might be done to help ensure that the relevant provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984 are complied with, thus restricting access to these games to people of the legally specified age.

Video Games

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals she has for restricting the availability to minors of video and computer games containing gross violence towards humans.

Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester East (Keith Vaz) on 21 October, Official Report, columns 99293W.

Video Games

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many successful prosecutions have been made since 1997 under the Video Recordings Act 1984 regarding video and computer games.

Estelle Morris: The number of successful prosecutions brought under the Video Records Act 1984 in 2002 (the latest year for which figures are available) was 139. However, it is not possible to identify separately those offences which relate to computer games.

Video Games

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to redefine the criteria for classification of violent video games.

Estelle Morris: Under the Video Recordings Act 1984, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is the body designated to classify those video games that come within the scope of the Act, including those which depict, to any significant extent, acts of gross violence towards humans or animals. The BBFC has established guidelines, which it uses in carrying out its duty under the Act. These guidelines take into account the law and public opinion and are revised periodically to ensure that they continue to reflect public concerns. Games that are exempted from the Act are rated under the voluntary PEGI industry scheme. The Government have no plans to amend the Video Recording Act 1984.

DEFENCE

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what company has won the contract to supply combat clothing.

Adam Ingram: It is assumed that my hon. Friend is referring to Contract DC4BES/1002 for cut and sewn garments, which has been awarded to Cooneen Watts  Stone Ltd.

Combat Clothing

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the company who won the contract to supply combat clothing is based.

Adam Ingram: In view of his earlier Questions tabled on this day, it is assumed my hon. Friend is referring to Contract DC4BES/1002 for cut and sewn garments which has been awarded to Cooneen Watts  Stone Ltd., a United Kingdom company based in Northern Ireland.

Combat Clothing

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) UK-based and (b) overseas companies his Department contract with for the production of (i) combat, (ii) operational and (iii) other clothing; how many it contracted with (A) five, (B) 10 and (c) 20 years ago; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Records are not maintained for contracts placed for clothing over the last 10 and 20 years. Combat and operational descriptions cover the same items and figures are provided as one category; footwear is separated, but could be added into Other category. The following table shows the available information held for the last five years:
	
		
			  Number of clothing contractors 5 years 
		
		
			 UK Combat and Operational 109 
			  Otherl 199 
			  Footwear(16) 25 
			
			
			 Overseas Combat and Operational 9 
			  Other(17) 14 
			  Footwear 6 
		
	
	(15) 26 of this total also supply combat and operational clothing.
	(16) 3 of this total also supply to combat and operational clothing
	(17) 4 of these contractors also supply to combat and operational clothing and 2 other types.

Defence Crisis Management Organisation

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the minutes of the meetings of the Defence Crisis Management Organisation.

Geoff Hoon: The Defence Crisis Management Organisation comprises elements of Ministry of Defence Central Staff, the Permanent Joint Headquarters, single-Service front-line commands and other relevant Departments. Where records of meetings are produced they fall under Exemption 1 (Defence, security and international relations) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Defence Crisis Management Organisation

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members of the Defence Crisis Management Organisation are; and what positions they hold in the Organisation.

Geoff Hoon: The Defence Crisis Management Organisation comprises both civilian and military personnel and is made up of elements of Ministry of Defence Central Staff, the Permanent Joint Headquarters, single-Service front-line commands and other relevant Departments. It meets in a variety of configurations, and participation is not defined by positions held in the Organisation. We do not release names of officials under Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on access to Government Information (privacy of an individual).

Fishery Protection

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that the Royal Navy should continue to provide the fishery protection service in the waters around England and Wales once the Department's existing agreement with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs comes to an end.

Adam Ingram: The requirement for a fishery protection service beyond 2008 has yet to be discussed in detail with the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists have been called up for duty in Iraq; and what percentage of the reserve force this represents.

Adam Ingram: There have been some 10,840 successful mobilisations for service in Iraq. This figure includes members of the Volunteer Reserve, the Regular Reserve and Sponsored Reserves. As some individuals have been mobilised for service in Iraq more than once, it is not possible to derive from this figure the number or percentage of the reserve forces that have deployed.

Iraq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the numbers and condition of conventional and improvised weaponry held by insurrectionist forces in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 November 2004
	Insurrectionist forces in Iraq hold a wide variety of improvised and conventional weaponry, including improvised explosive devices and various light weapons. Age, maintenance and serviceability of such weapons varies greatly.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has held with (a) the US Administration and (b) others concerning the placing of US interceptor batteries in (i) the UK and (ii) Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on missile defence in each of the last three years; and what the spending plans are for future years.

Geoff Hoon: For the period up to 31 March 2004 I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 19 January 2004, Official Report, column 920W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch). For financial year 200405 expenditure on research specific to ballistic missile defence technology will be in the order of 6 million. The Ministry of Defence plans to spend similar sums in the following four years.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to brief Parliament on decisions by NATO to move forward on missile defence architecture; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Major decisions by NATO, which would include decisions on the acquisition of missile defences, are published in the form of communiques issued by meetings of Heads of State and Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence. Such decisions are open to parliamentary scrutiny and debate in the normal way, and any significant decision affecting the United Kingdom would be notified to Parliament.

Missile Defence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to allow the US to base interceptor batteries in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1372W, to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell).

Missile Defence

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether parliamentary approval is required before a proposal for the siting of US interceptor missiles in the UK can be authorised.

Geoff Hoon: Any decision on the siting of interceptor missiles in the United Kingdom would be open to scrutiny and debate in the normal way. Specific parliamentary approval would not be required.

Naval Navigational Aids

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the outcome was of the Assessment Phase undertaken for a long-term public/private partnership or private finance initiative acquisition programme for the future provision of marine services;
	(2)  what research he has commissioned into the provision of naval navigational aids for (a) military ports and (b) other Ministry of Defence maritime installations in the UK;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with (a) other Departments and (b) Trinity House on the provision of naval navigational aids by providers other than his Department;
	(4)  what discussions he has had with (a) public and (b) private sector bodies on the provision of navigational aids for military ports by providers outside the UK;
	(5)  what plans he has to review the provision of navigational aids at naval installations in UK waters.

Adam Ingram: The Assessment Phase for the future provision of marine services has not yet concluded. Discussions on the provision of naval navigational aids has centred on the UK companies. Two proposals from UK registered bidders, plus one from the MOD's Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service (RMAS) who, together with Serco Denholm, are responsible for the current services through a Government Owned-Contractor Operated (GOCO) arrangement, are due by the end of the year. It is planned that the design authority for navigational buoys, as well as the supply of related mooring materials, will be transferred to the successful bidder who will have commissioned their own research to determine a solution that offers best value for money. Provision for this forms part of the range of services included in the Invitation to Negotiate. Separate discussions have been held with the General Lighthouse Authorities (Trinity House, Northern Lights and Irish Lights), non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the DfT, to determine whether they could take over the maintenance and upkeep of navigational buoys but it was concluded that such an arrangement offered little benefit to the MOD.

Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence is pursuing options for buying Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generated power from the electricity market. From April 2005 bids will be sought from licensed electricity suppliers that include a percentage of electricity sourced from good quality CHP. In line with Government targets, the percentage will start at 2,5 per cent. rising to 15 per cent. by 2010, subject to the market being able to supply the electricity at competitive rates.
	The MOD's usage and occupation of its estate limit the options for the steady heat and power loads required to make CHP viable for self-generation. Nevertheless, the MOD intends to undertake a study, in partnership with the Carbon Trust, to examine the costs and viability of the use of on site CHP (in all its forms, sizes, and fuel types) on the Army Estate.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Free School Milk

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ensure that milk is available in schools for all those pupils entitled to receive free school milk.

Stephen Twigg: There is no statutory requirement for milk to be provided in schools, but local education authorities (LEAs) and schools may decide to do so. The Government encourage LEAs and schools to make milk available for those pupils who want it. Where milk is provided, it must be made available free of charge to children eligible for free school meals.

Adoption Cases

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 460W, on adoption cases, when the Association of Directors of Social Services survey on past family cases concerning children and expert medical evidence will be placed in the Library.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 2 November 2004
	The Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) has now completed its survey, and I have today placed a copy of the results in the Library.
	This is the second stage of the survey of family court cases concerning children and expert medical evidence, conducted by the ADSS this year following the judgment in the case of R v. Cannings. The first stage of the survey, the results of which are already in the Library, looked at the cases of children who were the subject of current care proceedings. Across the 130 local authorities who responded to first stage of the survey, disputed medical evidence featured, or was anticipated to feature, in only 47 out of 5,175 cases. Where the impact of this evidence was known, there was a change to the local authority's care plan in one case. The first stage of the survey did not consider children who were already the subject of a care or related order, which has been the subject of the second stage survey.
	Across the 127 local authorities that responded to the second stage survey, which was conducted during July and August 2004, 28,867 children were the subject of care orders or freeing orders on 31 March 2004. 26 cases involved a serious disagreement between medical expert witnesses. Of these, five cases involved a serious disagreement between medical expert witnesses in which any doubt has been expressed about reliability of the evidence following the judgment in R v. Cannings. Of these five cases, the care plan remains unchanged in three cases. In one case the plan had been changed already in light of new information reviewed in 2003 and in one case further consideration of medical evidence by the court is being awaited.
	The figures collected in this survey will not include any care orders which have previously been discharged through the courts on the basis that it is safe for the child to do so, quite independently of any specific review being undertaken by the local authority. Approximately 1,000 applications for discharge of current care orders are made each year, of which around 80 per cent. are granted. This survey only includes children who are currently under the care of the local authoritynot cases where the care order has been discharged.
	Expert witnesses' medical evidence is only one of the many factors in the complex and difficult decision-making process that surrounds the safeguarding of children through the courts. As the survey shows, very few cases where children are currently being looked after by local authorities depend on the evidence of medical expert witnesses.
	The courts must have access to the best possible expert witnesses, and the Chief Medical Officer is currently leading a programme of work, expected to be completed by early 2005, to ensure the availability of competent, quality-assured medical expert resources to the family courts.
	In addition, as I indicated in my statement to the House on 17 June, I am also now issuing a Local Authority Social Services Letter setting out key aspects of the recent Appeal Court cases of Re LB and Re LU, which make clear the implications of the criminal court judgment in R v. Cannings on family proceedings, and also details the case of Dr. Colin Paterson, currently suspended by the General Medical Council, pending an appeal, as a result of his activities as an expert witness.

Adult Literacy/Numeracy

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has commissioned regarding (a) adult literacy and (b) adult numeracy in England.

Ivan Lewis: The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has conducted a range of research on adult literacy and numeracy in England. This includes its own in-house research and analysis activities, and also a continuous programme of research led by the DfES funded National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy (NRDC).
	Research undertaken by the Department has included The Skills for Life Survey: A national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills (DfES, October 2003). This research provides an up-to-date assessment of the level of basic skills need for literacy, numeracy and ICT among adults aged 1665 years old in England. A copy of this survey has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	In addition the Department is currently undertaking a longitudinal panel survey of adult basic skills learners, tracking a sample of learners and non-learners with a view to identifying the returns to basic skills learning (early findings from this study will be published in 2005). The Department has also conducted evaluations of the literacy and numeracy pathfinders that were established to test the new Skills for Life learning infrastructure. This included a survey of learners who had received training in the pathfinder areas to explore their experiences of literacy and numeracy learning. More details of DfES research are available through our website: www.dfes.gov.uk/research.
	The DfES also collects regular information on the number of basic skills qualifications that are achieved and count towards the Skills for Life PSA targets. We are confident that we are on track to achieve the 2004 target of 750,000 learner achievements.
	Finally, the DfES funded NRDC was created in spring 2002 to lead a continuous programme of research and development activities to ensure that implementation and future development of the Skills for Life Strategy are based firmly on evidence. The NRDC have conducted a range of research on literacy and numeracy and a series of research reports are available from their website: www.nrdc.org.uk.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will reply to the e-mail correspondence from the Romford Crossrail Action Group regarding the impact of the proposed Crossrail depot on local schools.

Stephen Twigg: Mr. Diebelius, a member of the Crossrail Action Group, sent me an e-mail on 18 October about the impact of the proposed Crossrail depot on Westlands Playing Fields in Romford. I replied to Mr. Diebelius in a letter dated 1 November. We have no record of any other correspondence from the Crossrail Action Group.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on the training of (a) midwives, (b) dental practitioners and (c) chemists met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations each Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of each Committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
	The advisory committees on midwifery, medical, dental, nursing and pharmaceutical training were set up to advise the European Commission and member states on matters relating to the training of workers whose professions come under sectoral directives guaranteeing free movement and automatic recognition of qualifications.
	The advisory committees did not meet during the Greek presidency, have not met since and are unlikely to do so again.
	The advisory committees were composed of representatives from each member state drawn from the relevant profession, the education establishments and the competent authority. Government officials did not attend.

Latchmere House

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the reason was for Reed Education losing the contract to provide education services at HM Prison Latchmere House; and whether there are plans to remove their contract to provide education at (a) HM Prison Blakenhurst and (b) HM Prison Brixton.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Reed Education provided the education services at HMP Latchmere House from 1 July 2003 to 31 August 2004 as a variation to their education contract at HMP Brixton.
	When Reed were offered an extension to the Latchmere House contract for the period 1 September 2004 to 30 June 2005 agreement on prices could not be reached and the contract was ended on 30 September 2004. This was in line with Reed's own condition that 30 days notice should be given if prices could not be agreed.
	There are no plans to terminate the contracts for Blakenhurst or Brixton prisons.

Learndirect

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many venues responsible for the delivery of Learndirect have closed in (a) England and (b) each county in each month in the past year; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: 422 Learndirect centres closed in England between November 2003 and November 2004. Over the same period 485 new centres have opened. The following table shows closures by individual county.
	Learndirect makes an important contribution to the Government's targets of widening participation and meeting employers' skills needs through its use of new technologies and e-learning. Learndirect is successfully attracting 10,000 new learners each week and Ufi is responsible for ensuring its Learndirect network of over 2,000 centres is best placed to meet their needs. I fully support its approach of closing centres which consistently fail to meet quality standards or attract sufficient learners to be viable and of opening new centres to meet new or changing demand.
	
		
			  2003   2004 
			 County November December January February March April May June 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA  1   
			 Blackpool UA 
			 Brighton and Hove UA1 
			 Bristol UA 
			 Buckinghamshire   11  
			 Cambridgeshire 
			 Cheshire 1   1  1   
			 Cornwall 11
			 County Durham 3 21   
			 Cumbria 6  1  1
			 Derbyshire 
			 Devon 1
			 Dorset4   2  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1
			 East Sussex2 
			 Essex2 
			 Gloucestershire  1   
			 Greater London 14 8   1 6 3 1 
			 Greater Manchester   1  
			 Hampshire 2 2   
			 Herefordshire2 
			 Hertfordshire 2  1  5 1   
			 Isle of Wight 
			 Jersey 
			 Kent 2 1   
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 
			 Lancashire 7  1  
			 Leicestershire   2  
			 Lincolnshire 1  3 1 
			 Medway UA 
			 Merseyside 1   2 
			 Middlesbrough UA   1  
			 Milton Keynes UA 1
			 Norfolk   3  
			 North Lincolnshire 1
			 North Yorkshire 1
			 Northamptonshire 
			 Northumberland1 
			 Nottinghamshire 6
			 Oxfordshire 2
			 Portsmouth UA  1   
			 Reading UA 1
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 
			 Rutland 
			 Shropshire 1   1 
			 Slough UA 3
			 South Gloucestershire 1
			 South Yorkshire1  1   
			 Southampton UA 2
			 Staffordshire 1
			 Stoke on Trent UA 
			 Suffolk   2  
			 Surrey 
			 Tyne and Wear 8  1  
			 Warwickshire  2   
			 West Midlands UA  1 11 1 
			 West Sussex3 
			 West Yorkshire 1   1 3   2 
			 Wiltshire 
			 Worcestershire1 
			 England total 59 14 10 14 32 15 15 13 
		
	
	
		
			  2004 Since 
			 County July August September October November November 2003 August 2004 
		
		
			 Bedfordshire 2 2 0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 2 3 0 
			 Blackpool UA  11 1 
			 Brighton and Hove UA 1 2 0 
			 Bristol UA 1 1 0 
			 Buckinghamshire 2 1  3  8 4 
			 Cambridgeshire  11 1 
			 Cheshire 3 6 0 
			 Cornwall 4 15 0 
			 County Durham 1 7 0 
			 Cumbria 5   1  14 1 
			 Derbyshire 3 3 0 
			 Devon 1 2 0 
			 Dorset 4 10 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3 15 1 
			 East Sussex 1   2  5 2 
			 Essex 3 5 0 
			 Gloucestershire  1 0 
			 Greater London 12 2 1 1 1 50 5 
			 Greater Manchester 15 16 0 
			 Hampshire 5   1  10 1 
			 Herefordshire 1 3 0 
			 Hertfordshire 2 11 0 
			 Isle of Wight 11 2 1 
			 Jersey 3 3 0 
			 Kent 3 1  3  10 4 
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 2 2 0 
			 Lancashire 3 213 2 
			 Leicestershire 7 110 1 
			 Lincolnshire 12 15   1 33 16 
			 Medway UA  11 1 
			 Merseyside 4   6  13 6 
			 Middlesbrough UA 1 2 0 
			 Milton Keynes UA 2   1  4 1 
			 Norfolk   6   9 6 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 3 0 
			 North Yorkshire 1 35 3 
			 Northamptonshire 2  1 1  4 2 
			 Northumberland 1 2 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 3  2   11 2 
			 Oxfordshire 2   1  5 1 
			 Portsmouth UA 3 4 0 
			 Reading UA 1 2 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 1 1 0 
			 Rutland  11 1 
			 Shropshire 5 7 0 
			 Slough UA  3 0 
			 South Gloucestershire  1 0 
			 South Yorkshire  5  1  8 6 
			 Southampton UA1  3 1 
			 Staffordshire  12 1 
			 Stoke on Trent UA 1 1 0 
			 Suffolk  2 0 
			 Surrey 4 4 0 
			 Tyne and Wear 1 10 0 
			 Warwickshire 3  5   10 5 
			 West Midlands UA 16  1 2  23 3 
			 West Sussex1  4 1 
			 West Yorkshire 4 1 2   14 3 
			 Wiltshire 3 3 0 
			 Worcestershire 4 16 1 
			 England total 166 38 18 25 3 422 84

Pupil Referral Units

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of excluded children, broken down by key stage, have (a) received education in pupil referral units and (b) had one-to-one home tuition in each of the last five years.

Stephen Twigg: Information on the provision made for permanently excluded pupils was first collected in March 2001 via the Education of Permanently Excluded Pupils (EPEP) Survey. There were two further updates in September 2001 and March 2002 before the survey was discontinued. However, figures from the most recent collection of this survey were incomplete and not sufficiently robust to provide a breakdown of the type of educational provision received by excluded pupils. The available information is given in the table.
	
		Distribution of mode of provision of education for excluded pupilsEngland, March and September 2001
		
			 March 2001 (18) 
			 Key Stages 1 Key Stages 1 and 2 Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 
		
		
			 
			 PRU 40.8 45.1 39.1 
			 Home tuition 32.3 24.0 11.0 
			 Voluntary Sector 0.2 0.1 0.8 
			 FE college  0.4 9.8 
			 Work related  0.1 3.3 
			 Mixed provision 4.3 5.6 16.7 
			 Other provision 9.6 8.7 8.8 
			 No provision 12.7 16.1 10.4 
			 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 
			 September 2001(19) 
			 PRU 44.7 51.0 46.6 
			 Home tuition 30.8 20.3 9.6 
			 Voluntary Sector 0.0 0.8 1.5 
			 FE college  0.1 12.8 
			 Work related  0.1 5.1 
			 Mixed provision 5.1 4.8 7.5 
			 Other provision 11.1 9.0 7.6 
			 No provision 8.2 13.9 9.3 
			 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 
		
	
	(18) Based on replies from 144 out of 150 LEAs.
	(19) Based on replies from 146 out of 150 LEAs.
	Source:
	EPEP survey
	In 1999 the Government gained a commitment from LEAs to provide a full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils by September 2002. Findings from the EPEP survey indicated that on 30 September 2002, 143 LEAs were offering full-time education to pupils permanently excluded from school, and seven LEAs were not. Since this survey, better systems have been put in place to track pupils. Currently two LEAs are not providing full-time education for all their pupils. The Department continues to work through the Children's Services Improvement Advisers to support LEAs to sustain this commitment and provide high quality, full-time educational provision for all permanently excluded pupils.

School Meals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children of (a) primary and (b) secondary school age were eating hot school meals in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect this information.

School Meals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has issued to schools to encourage (a) healthier option school meals and (b) healthier packed lunches to be brought into schools.

Stephen Twigg: We introduced regulations setting minimum nutritional standards for school lunches on 1 April 2001. They allow children to choose healthy and enjoyable school meals. We also produced guidance entitled Healthy School Lunches for school caterers on implementing these standards. The guidance can be viewed on the website: www.dfes.gov.uk/schoollunches.
	We are taking forward a number of projects following the recent publication of the findings of the Department for Education and Skills and Food Standards Agency (FSA) evaluation of secondary school meals and to help achieve the objectives outlined within the Healthy Living Blueprint which was launched on 6 September 2004. These projects aim to improve school food and reinforce healthy eating messages taught in the classroom. The Blueprint and supporting website can be viewed at: www.teachernet.gov.uk/healthyliving.
	This Department, together with the Department of Health (DoH), is jointly funding a Food in Schools (FiS) programme. The DoH strand comprises eight pilot projects one of which addresses healthier packed lunches. Good practice identified through FiS will help schools promote a clear and consistent message about diet and nutrition.
	The FSA in September 2003 provided suggestions on healthy packed lunches. This can be viewed on their website: www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2003/sep/lunchbox.

Special Advisers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b) committees and (c) strategy groups each unpaid adviser (i) belongs to, (ii) advises and (iii) works alongside.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1380W. Hannah Pawlby has replaced Lisa Tremble.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which projects and investments undertaken by Advantage West Midlands, including sale and leaseback, involving property and land (a) have incurred losses and (b) are projected to incur losses; and what the extent of those losses is.

Jacqui Smith: In 200304 Advantage West Midlands (AWM) had in excess of 50 active projects where it held an investment or interest in land and property to assemble sites, overcome market failure and bring sites back into productive use, which the private sector would otherwise neglect. As a result of these projects, AWM incurred 16.2 million of revaluation losses and 12.9 million of revaluation profits; though, since AWM was able to account for this on a portfolio basis, this produced an audited net property loss of 3.3 million. AWM is not able to provide a breakdown of losses on individual projects, as this information is commercially sensitive.
	AWM values its property portfolio on an annual basis and is currently undertaking this exercise. Until this task is completed, AWM is unable to project potential revaluation losses for the current year. However, taking into account the fact that AWM now has to account for losses on an individual basis, rather than on portfolio basis, AWM has made a provision of 10 million to cover any valuation losses when they arise.

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) target time is and (b) average time actually achieved in 200304 was for Advantage West Midlands approving new projects (i) in general, (ii) as regional cluster projects, (iii) as regeneration zone projects, (iv) as technology corridor projects and (v) as single regeneration budget projects.

Jacqui Smith: Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has a general target of 30 working days for decisions on new, fully completed, applications; this target includes Regional Cluster projects, Regeneration Zone projects, High-Technology Corridor projects, legacy SRB projects and Selective Finance for Investment (SFI) projects. Any time taken for the applicant to provide missing or supplementary information will be added to the target time.
	Land and property applications are technically more complex and demanding, require more detailed scrutiny and development, and are therefore excluded from these time scales. However in such instances the AWM works closely with the applicant to overcome any issues that may arise and cause delay to the application.
	AWM is not able to give a breakdown of the average time actually achieved by type of project. However, AWM has surveyed a number of projects received in 200304 and has identified that this process has on average taken a period of 10 weeks, though this time includes all types of projects and also includes time taken to seek additional information from applicants.

Business Angels

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business angel deals have been concluded through the National Business Angel Network in each year since 1998; and what the total value of the deals was.

Nigel Griffiths: The National Business Angels Network was established to act as a national conduit through which any company seeking investment could be put in touch with investors. Each business angels network was responsible for progressing any potential deals.

Business Angels

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to promote the business angel concept.

Nigel Griffiths: We are supporting the National Business Angels Network in its objectives of promoting the concept of business angels and, working through local businesses angels networks, improving the operation of the business angels market. We also operate the Enterprise Investment Scheme to provide tax incentives to encourage business angel investment.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what provision has been made for funding the business support products of (a) Access to Best Business Practice and (b) Support to Implement Best Business Practice in the current financial year.

Nigel Griffiths: For this financial year a total of 14 million has been allocated to the Achieving Best Practice in Your Business theme within the DTI's business support product portfolio. We expect to spend 6 million on Access to Business Practice, and 8 million on Support to Implement Best Business practice.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what provision has been made for funding the business support products of (a) Knowledge Transfer Networks, (b) Collaborative Research and Development, (c) Grants for Investigating an Innovative Idea, (d) Grants for Research and Development and (e) Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in the current financial year.

Nigel Griffiths: Provision for funding business support products in the current financial year (200405) (which includes funding for legacy schemes associated with the new products) is as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 (a) Knowledge Transfer Networks 18.9 
			 (b) Collaborative Research and Development 2.1 
			 (c) Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea 1 
			 (d) Grant for Research and Development 36 
			 (e) Knowledge Transfer Partnerships 19.2

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down spending on (a) business support products and (b) administration related to Small Business Service Investment in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: The Small Business Service was formed as an executive agency of the DTI in April 2000.
	The expenditure on business support products and the administration costs of the Small Business Service's Investment and SME Finance Directorate, which covers the Small Firm Loan Guarantee as well as venture capital investments, is represented as follows (staffing levels have also been included as the corresponding expenditure in 200001 and 200102 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost):
	
		
			  Business support ( million) Staffing Administration ( million) 
		
		
			 200001 45.8 39 n/a 
			 200102 39.2 45 n/a 
			 200203 74.7 47 1.5 
			 200304 83.759 49 1.6

Compensation Claims

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger were concluded for the constituency of Bolsover in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001, (iii) 2002 and (iv) 2003.

Nigel Griffiths: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Settlements 
			  COPD VWF 
		
		
			 2000 196 121 
			 2001 416 322 
			 2002 757 535 
			 2003 1,646 898 
			 2004 1,485 783 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Settlements represent claims settled by payment and by denial/withdrawn.
	2. Figures for 2004 reflect the position to 31 October 2004.

Counterfeiting (Pharmaceuticals)

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to tackle counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical industry.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) investigates all allegations of counterfeit medicines in the United Kingdom, the vast majority of which are not associated with the tightly regulated legitimate supply chain. Action, in the form of legal proceedings, is taken when appropriate.
	The MHRA's inspection and enforcement division continually reviews its counterfeit strategy in order to remain proactive in this area. Some of the key initiatives are:
	The MHRA, in association with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, routinely carries out market surveillance by sampling and testing 'off the shelf medicines on the UK market for authentication. The target products for this surveillance are based on intelligence and risk assessments. To date, none of the tests has identified a counterfeit product.
	Due to the global nature of the problem of counterfeit medicines, the MHRA continues to liaise closely with international regulatory partners, the pharmaceutical industry and international law enforcement agencies to ensure that the tackling of counterfeiting medicines remains a prioritised and co-ordinated activity.
	The MHRA is actively consulting with the pharmaceutical industry and technology the providers in the area of its work on technical developments in product security, which are aimed to further safeguard the integrity of the medicines supply chain. This includes work with the National Patient Safety Agency and the NHS Patient and Supply Agency on the potential use of bar-coding medicines and blood products to increase patient safety. In addition, work is being done with the United States Food and Drug Administration in the use of sophisticated 'fingerprinting' to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients as a means of product verification.
	The MHRA is developing an educational program for the public and other stakeholders on the dangers of counterfeit medicines and purchasing drugs on the internet.

Digital Standards

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of (a) the differences between the MHP and MHEG digital standards and (b) the implications of one being preferred for use in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: MHEG-5 and MHP are closely related open API (application programming interface) standards for interactive digital television.
	MHP is a more advanced, complex and capable API which was developed several years after MHEG-5 was chosen by the UK free-to-air terrestrial TV broadcasters for the launch of their digital TV services. To enable the kinds of advanced interactive service which MHP can offer (but MHEG-5 cannot), the TV set needs to be connected to a telephone line, or other telecoms network.
	MHP receivers are more expensive than MHEG-5 receivers; the MHP suite of standards is not yet complete or stable. To date, very few MHP applications have been developed and interoperability problems are beginning to surface in countries (eg Italy) which are early adopters of MHP.
	MHEG-5 is much more mature. Almost all digital terrestrial TV receivers in the UK incorporate MHEG-5, whereas other countries are seeing their market split between relatively expensive MHP receivers and simple zapper boxes without any API at all.
	A DTI-commissioned study on the technical issues of coexistence of MHEG-5 and MHP based services and on migration to MHP was completed in May 2002. Since then, further investigations, supported by DTI, have led to demonstrations of interactive services receivable on both MHEG-5 and MHP receivers. Work to align the two standards more closely is nearing completion. Manufacturers can now easily produce receivers supporting both standards. This MHP/MHEG capability is expected to be incorporated in baseline MHP receivers available across Europe.
	The UK is well-placed to switch over to digital terrestrial TV, with MHEG-5 in the vast majority of receivers providing support for a raft of desirable interactive services. As MHP matures and becomes established in other markets, there is the prospect of the widespread adoption of MHP/MHEG-capable receivers in UK, particularly when the main TV comes up for replacement. This would open the way to an organic extension of simple interactive services based on MHEG-5 to advanced applications using MHP, taking advantage of a telecomms connection which users may well be persuaded to extend to their main receiver over the next few years.

East of England Development Agency

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the accountability of the East of England Development Agency to the people of the East of England.

Jacqui Smith: Section 18 of the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998 requires RDAs to be accountable to Regional Chambers. The East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has been designated by the Secretary of State for this purpose. EERA members are drawn from elected local authority councillors, and the social, economic and environmental sectors in the region.
	In developing the Regional Economic Strategy the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) consults widely within the region. It takes into account the views of EERA and of other regional and local stakeholders in drawing up the Strategy and its own Corporate Plan. These documents are published, as are EEDA's targets and its performance against these. The Agency publishes an Annual Report on its activities and holds a public meeting after publication of the Report.

Employment Tribunals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the merits of giving employment tribunals power to enforce awards they make; and if she will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	The White Paper Transforming Public Services:Complaints Redress and Tribunals, published in July, contains a commitment that the current unsatisfactory arrangements for enforcing these awards will be reformed. A review between the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Department of Trade and Industry is already under way, and we hope to make an announcement early in 2005.

Employment Tribunals

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunal cases there were in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the number of tribunal applications registered by the Employment Tribunals Service in the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1997. We are unable to supply separate statistical information for the geographical areas of West Derbyshire and East Midlands.
	
		
			  Registered tribunal applications 
		
		
			 200304 115,042 
			 200203 98,617 
			 200102 112,227 
			 200001 130,408 
			 19992000 103,935 
			 199899 91,913 
			 199798 80,435 
			 199697 88,910

Employment Tribunals

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average amount of an employment tribunal cost award was in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table shows the average amount of an Employment Tribunal cost award in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1997. We are unable to supply the average amount of an Employment Tribunal cost award for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.
	
		
			  Average cost award () 
		
		
			 200304 1,859 
			 200203 1,524 
			 200102 983 
			 200001 295 
			 19992000 1,155 
			 199899 743 
			 199798 546

Employment Tribunals

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average award for compensation in employment tribunal cases has been in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Employment Tribunals Service only collects compensation statistics for tribunal cases covering the jurisdictions of Unfair Dismissal, Race Discrimination, Sex Discrimination and Disability Discrimination. Therefore, the figures quoted in the table illustrate the average award for compensation in Employment Tribunal cases for the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) since 1997 in relation to the aforementioned complaints. We are unable to supply separate information for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.
	
		
			  Average compensation award () 
		
		
			 200304 8,361 
			 200203 7,598 
			 200102 7,306 
			 200001 5,764 
			 19992000 5,734 
			 199899 4,449 
			 199798 4,894

Employment Tribunals

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunal cost awards have been made against (a) respondents and (b) applicants in (i) West Derbyshire, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) the UK in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following table illustrates how many Employment Tribunal cost awards have been made against respondents and applicants in the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) in the last two financial years. The Employment Tribunals Service did not breakdown the statistics for applicants and respondents prior to 200102. We are unable to supply information for West Derbyshire and East Midlands.
	
		
			  Costs awards against respondent Costs awards against applicant 
		
		
			 200304 332 644 
			 200203 307 691 
			 200102 169 467

Enron

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what investigation has been carried out on the British arms and subsidiaries of Enron; and what action has been taken as a result.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not comment on the affairs of individual companies.

Gas

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what comparative assessment she has made of the wholesale gas price in (a) the UK and (b) other major EU economies.

Mike O'Brien: Because gas markets in other EU economies are less liberalised and competitive than those in the UK, there is not much open trading in wholesale markets and it is difficult to make meaningful price comparisons with those in the UK. On the Continent wholesale prices tend to be set through contract and linked to oil. However, unofficial data indicates that UK wholesale gas prices in October 2004 were comparable with wholesale prices at Zeebrugge in Belgium and the TTF trading hub in the Netherlands.

Jaguar

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what public funds Jaguar has received in each year since 1989; and for what purpose.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 9 November 2004
	I can confirm that Jaguar cars has received the following assistance from national and regional bodies since 1989:
	1994
	National Regional Selective Assistance scheme payment:
	Grant paid: 7.87 million (offered in 1994, actually paid in 1997)
	Plant: Browns Lane (to support introduction of new XK sports car)
	Note
	All conditions of the offer have been met. Case is now closed.
	1997
	National Regional Selective Assistance scheme payment:
	Grant paid: 40 million
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	Note
	Monitoring of offer conditions is ongoing.
	Regional grants to promote and support Learning and Training from Birmingham TEC and Birmingham city council:
	Combined total grant paid: 852,000
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	1998
	Regional grants to promote and support Learning, Training and Enterprise from Birmingham TEC, Birmingham city council Coventry city council and Coventry and Warwickshire CCTE:
	Combined total grant paid: 983,642
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	1999
	National Regional Selective Assistance scheme payment:
	Grant paid: 30 million (from a total of 40 million available)
	Plant: Halewood (to support introduction of X400/X-Type saloon car project)
	Note
	Grant payment process is 75 per cent. complete, hence payment of 30 million to date, with monitoring of offer conditions ongoing.
	Regional grant to facilitate Skills Enhancement and Learning from Merseyside TEC:
	Total grant paid: 2 million
	Plant: Halewood (to support introduction of X400/X-Type saloon car project)
	Regional grants to promote Training and Inward Investment Support from Birmingham city council and Birmingham TEC:
	Combined total grant paid: 1.46 million
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	2000
	Regional grants to promote Training and Inward Investment Support from Birmingham TEC, Birmingham city council and Coventry city council:
	Combined total grant paid: 1.3 million
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	2001
	Regional grant to facilitate Training from Birmingham city council:
	Total grant paid: 200,000
	Plant: Castle Bromwich (to support introduction of X200/S-Type saloon car)
	In addition to these discrete national and regional packages, Jaguar Cars has also received support across a number of years for specific company research efforts under the auspices of the SMMT-led Foresight Vehicle programme. These have included the following specific initiatives:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Advanced Protection of Vulnerable Road Users (APVRU) 18,800 
			 Road Origin and Direction Attained by Radar (ROADAR) 250,000 
			 Short Range Sensors for Automotive Applications (SHORSEN) 202,500 
			 Probe Vehicle Information for Traffic Management and Road Network Operations (PROBE-IT) 270,000 
			 Controlled Homogenous Auto-ignition Reformed Gas Engine (CHARGE) 252,000 
			 Controlled Homogenous Auto-ignition Supercharged Engine (CHASE) 260,000

Liquid Gas

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much liquid gas was used in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; how much was imported and from where; how much was used for domestic and industrial heating; and what her latest estimate is of the number of vehicles running on liquid gas.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 November 2004
	There are two types of liquid gas, liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Natural gas is liquefied for storage or long distance transportation purposes. Currently there is little LNG used in the UK and its usage cannot be separately disaggregated from natural gas data. The latest annual figures for UK consumption of liquid petroleum gases (butane and propane) in 2003 were published in table 3.4 of the 2004 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics. In 2003 UK consumption of LPG was 2.9 million tonnes of which 0.84 million tonnes were used by industry and 0.34 million tonnes by households. It is not possible to split this usage between heating and other energy uses such as cooking.
	Total UK imports of LPG in 2003 were 0.36 million tonnes with 0.18 million tonnes from EU countries, 0.1 million tonnes from Norway, 0.06 million tonnes from Russia and 0.02 million tonnes from other countries.

Miners' Pensions

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the transfer of pension rights and benefits under TUPE for members of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme into the Industry-Wide Mineworkers Pension Scheme complied fully with Article 3 of the EU Acquired Rights Directive; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: I am advised that the transfer was in full compliance with the Directive.

Mobile Post Offices

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many mobile post offices there are in the United Kingdom; and what areas they serve.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on mobile post offices is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked David Mills, the Chief Executive, to reply to the hon. Member direct.

Oil Usage

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much oil was used in the UK in the last year for which figures are available; how much was imported and from where; how much was burned in power stations; how much was used for domestic and industrial heating; and how much was used by industry for purposes other than heating.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 November 2004
	The latest annual figures for UK consumption of petroleum products in 2003 were published in table 3.4 of the 2004 edition of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics. In 2003 UK consumption of petroleum products was 77.8 million tonnes of which 0.6 million tonnes was used in power stations, 6.7 million tonnes were used by industry and 3.1 million tonnes by domestic households. It is not possible to split the industrial usage between heating and other energy uses such as cooking. However recent studies by the Building Research Establishment show that around three-quarters of domestic oil consumption is used for space heating. Previous studies have suggested that less than five percent of industrial use of oil is for space heating purposes.
	Total UK imports of petroleum products in 2003 were 17.3 million tonnes with 8.6 million tonnes from European countries, 3 million tonnes from the former Soviet Union, 4.5 million tonnes from the Middle East and 1.1 million tonnes from other countries.

Postal Services (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the standard of Royal Mail deliveries in Hendon.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Improving the quality of postal services throughout the country is an operational matter for the Royal Mail Board. Ministers have been assured that this is the Board's top priority and Adam Crozier, Chief Executive of Royal Mail, has taken personal responsibility for this improvement. I have written to him and asked him to respond to my hon. Friend's specific question about Hendon.

Premium Rate Dialler Programmes

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints she has received in the last three years about the operation of the regulatory bodies for premium rate telephone companies; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 15 November 2004
	The Department has received about 120 complaints about Premium Rate Services (PRS) in the past year of which about 100 have referred to the operation of the premium rate regulator the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS). None complaining about ICSTIS was received in the previous two years. The Government have asked Ofcom to carry out a review of PRS regulation which will include an assessment of ICSTIS' remit and whether ICSTIS has the right tools and resources to regulate the PRS industry. The review is expected to report later in November.

Premium Rate Dialler Programmes

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has received of the number of complaints received over the last three years by the regulatory bodies for premium rate telephone calls.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 15 November 2004
	The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) regulates premium rate telephone calls and has the following figures about complaints it has received about Premium Rate Services:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 11,572 
			 2003 27,501 
			 2004 (20)63,945 
			 2004 (21)79,000 
		
	
	(20) January to October only.
	(21) Estimated total for 2004.
	Part of the increase in complaints is explicable by growth in the size of the market (services based on the premium rate charging mechanism are estimated to now be worth 1 billion a year in the UK) and by new and innovative technologies in the marketplace, but clearly not all. The 2004 growth is largely accounted for by PRS internet diallers.
	DTI, Ofcom and ICSTIS all appreciate that the current level of complaints is not acceptable. This is why the Department has called on Ofcom to conduct a review of the regulation of premium rate services, with ICSTIS, to strengthen consumer protection.

Premium Rate Dialler Programmes

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the role of ICTSIS; and when she last met ICTSIS to discuss strengthening their role in consumer protection.

Mike O'Brien: We recognise that the regulatory system for premium rate services enforced by ICSTIS is currently being stretched by the current problems around the abuse of Internet diallers. This is why the Government have asked Ofcom to carry out a review of Premium Rate Services (PRS) regulation which will include an assessment of ICSTIS' remit and whether ICSTIS has the right tools and resources to regulate the PRS industry. The review is expected to report later in November. Ministers and officials regularly meet with ICSTIS to discuss consumer protection issues.

Productivity

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the changes in (a) labour and (b) multi-factor productivity in British industry in the course of (i) 200203 and (ii) 200304.

Jacqui Smith: Productivity growth is essential for long-term economic growth and prosperity. The Government focus on two main measures of labour productivityoutput per worker and output per hour worked.
	On an output per worker basis, labour productivity improved by 0.8 per cent. in the second quarter of 2003 compared with the same quarter in 2002, and by 2.9 per cent. in the second quarter of 2004 compared with the same quarter in 2003.
	On an output per hour basis, it improved by 0.8 per cent. in the second quarter of 2003 compared with the same quarter in 2002, and by 3.5 per cent. in the second quarter of 2004 compared with the same quarter in 2003.
	The Government do not produce estimates of Multi Factor Productivity (MFP) growth. MFPor as it is sometimes called Total Factor Productivityis a measure of how the economy combines its inputssuch as labour and capitalto produce output. In practice MFP is calculated as a residual and is therefore subject to significant measurement error. For example MFP can be influenced by the mis-measurement of inputs, especially of the capital stock. Consequently, estimates of MFP are subject to substantial variation.
	Nevertheless, the Government do recognise the value of critically evaluating estimates of MFP when undertaking productivity analysis, and considers estimates produced by a range of bodies including the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, the University of Groningen and the US' National Bureau of Economic Research. This MFP data are used to provide contextual information to support the analysis of labour productivity growth.

Regional Selective Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many regional selective assistance grants have been made since 1997; what their value is; and how many jobs it is estimated they have (a) created and (b) safeguarded.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 21 October 2004
	Between April 1997 and 31 March 2004, 3,611 offers of RSA grant totalling 949 million were accepted by firms in support of projects in England. It is estimated that these projects will create 122,000 jobs and safeguard a further 76,000.
	Further information can be found in the Industrial Development Act Annual Report, published by the Stationery Office and placed in the Library of the House.

Solar Power

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how much solar power the UK generated in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what targets there have been for the installation of solar power in domestic properties in the last 10 years;
	(3)  what target has been set for the installation of solar panels.

Mike O'Brien: Solar power is used for generating electricity using photovoltaic panels (solar PV). It is estimated that at the end December 2003 there was 5,903 kWp of installed PV in the UK (Source: International Energy AuthorityNational Statistics).
	The current target for installation of solar PV under the DTFs Major PV Demonstration Programme launched in 2003 is 1,000 domestic/individual systems (2 MW) and at least 140 medium and large-scale non-domestic systems (5 MW). The budget for the Major PV Demonstration Programme has been increased from 20 million to 31 million this year and the targets will be reviewed.

EU State Aid

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment is made of the EU state aid scoreboards in decisions about the making of grants of aid to UK industry; and whether the scoreboards are regularly monitored to assess grounds for disputing state aid awards by other member states.

Douglas Alexander: The EU state aid scoreboard is published twice yearly and provides data on the levels of state aid granted by member states. The data presented in the scoreboards are at an aggregated level for the EU and individual member states; for example, total aid granted as a proportion of GDP, total aid granted by aid instrument (grant, loan, tax exemption etc.), total aid granted for particular activities (SME business support, environmental protection, training, regional development etc.). Therefore, it does not provide information that can be used for making decisions on granting aid to UK industry or disputing individual awards by other member states.
	However, the Government do monitor other sources of information on other member state aid awards, particularly the information on aid approvals and investigations published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and makes representations to the Commission on cases where this is deemed to be appropriate.

Utilities

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the provision of utilities by means of prepaid meters on communities at risk of social exclusion; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Although the use of prepayment meters is concentrated among lower income customers, it is not synonymous with vulnerability or the risk of social exclusion. Prepayment meters enable customers to monitor and control expenditure on energy electricity supply, and are, in some cases, a valuable alternative to disconnection for non-payment of bills. Because of the additional cost of the meter and the administrative infrastructure that supports it, prepayment tariffs are customarily higher than those of other payment methods, although the differential will vary from company to company. Prepayment meter users may, therefore, be able to reduce their energy bills by switching supplier, as well as by seeking a cheaper, simpler payment method, which will, for most customers, be direct debit.

Business Women

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what percentage of businesses were run by women in each of the last 10 years.

Nigel Griffiths: Data are not available on the number and percentage of all businesses run by women. The number of businesses owned by women, in England, in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with less than 250 employees, can be estimated from business surveys conducted in 2001, 2002 and 2004 on behalf of the Small Business Service (SBC). SMEs account for 99.8 per cent. of the total business population. There are no data prior to 2001. The proportion and estimated number of women owned SMES is as follows:
	
		Women-owned(22) SMEs 2001 to 2003, England only
		
			  Percentage of all SMEs owned by women(23) Estimated number of SMEs in England(24) Estimated number of SMEs owned by women 
		
		
			 2001 13 3,258,925 436,000 
			 2002 14 3,258,925 452,000 
			 2003 16 3,258,925 516,000 
		
	
	(22) Women-owned refers to SMEs where women make up the majority of the owners.
	(23) Source: SBS Omnibus Survey Waves 13 (2001), the SBS Omnibus Survey Waves 4 and 5 (2002) and the SBS Annual Small Business Survey 2003 (2003).
	(24) Estimates of the number of SMEs in England are only available for the start of 2001.
	Source:
	SBS SME Statistics for the UK, 2001
	The number and percentage of self-employed people who are women can be measured using the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Labour Force Survey. Female self-employment is not the same as business ownership as one self-employed woman could run several businesses or be involved in running a business where the majority of owners are men. Also, women working as directors of companies will be classed as employees in the Labour Force Survey.
	The number of self-employed women and women self-employment as a proportion of all self-employed people is as follows.
	
		Number of self-employed women and women as a percentage of all self-employed people aged 16 and overUK, all persons, not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Self-employed women (Thousand) Women as a percentage of all self- employed 
		
		
			 1995 915 26 
			 1996 914 26 
			 1997 926 27 
			 1998 918 27 
			 1999 869 26 
			 2000 903 28 
			 2001 873 27 
			 2002 885 27 
			 2003 955 27 
			 2004 962 27 
		
	
	Source:
	ONS Quarterly Labour Force Survey, spring of each year (March to May)

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  who is responsible for the enforcement of section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000;
	(2)  what the consequences are of breaching Section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000; and what measures are in place to prevent such a breach.

Christopher Leslie: It is the responsibility of those to whom section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 applies to ensure that they comply with the requirements of that provision. A person alleging a breach of section 125 could seek to bring a judicial review. It would be for the courts to decide the consequences of a breach according to the circumstances of the challenge.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Debts

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library copies of the contracts given to four debt collection companies to collect benefit debts from people no longer in receipt of benefit.

Chris Pond: The generic contract has been placed in the Library. The schedules have not been included as they contain information that is commercial in confidence. This is in line with paragraph 13 of part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Benefit Debts

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Government expect to receive in repayments of overpaid benefits as a result of the exercise launched with four debt collection agencies in March.

Chris Pond: It is early in the pilot to forecast accurately the return on the contracts with the four private sector suppliers. The agreement with Treasury is that recoveries to costs ratio should exceed 2:1 and we are confident that this will be achieved.

Benefit Entitlement (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants there are in Newcastle-under-Lyme, broken down by (a) local authority ward and (b) sex.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Total numbers claiming incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance: Wards within Newcastle-Under-Lyme parliamentary constituency.
		
			 Ward name Total Number of IB/SDA Claimants Male claimants Female claimants 
		
		
			 Audley and Bignall End 295 155 140 
			 Bradwell 415 240 180 
			 Chesterton 445 250 195 
			 Clayton 195 110 85 
			 Cross Heath 565 330 235 
			 Halmerend 155 100 60 
			 Holditch 390 245 150 
			 Keele 20 5 10 
			 Knutton and Silverdale 360 215 145 
			 May Bank 280 165 110 
			 Porthill 165 95 70 
			 Seabridge 245 140 105 
			 Silverdale and Parksite 270 170 95 
			 Thistleberry 305 185 125 
			 Town 305 210 100 
			 Westlands 180 105 75 
			 Wolstanton 270 170 95 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures are a snapshot of all claimants of Incapacity Benefit (including
	credits only cases) and Severe Disablement Allowance at August 2003.
	2. Wards are based on 2003 ward boundaries.
	3. All benefit counts have been rounded to a multiple of five to protect the confidentiality of individual claimants, therefore gender breakdown may not sum to the total shown.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. Data.

Benefit Take-up (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Hendon are in receipt of (a) pension credit and (b) pension savings credit; what he estimates the take-up rate of each benefit in Hendon to be; what the (i) highest and (ii) average amount awarded is; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on numbers of pension credit recipients in Hendon and the level of awards at 30 September, where available, is given in the table. The average award of the savings element in Hendon at the end of May 2004, the latest date for which this figure is available, was 7.44.
	Information on the number of people likely to be eligible for pension credit is not available at constituency level. However, we estimate that approximately 450,000 households in the London Government Office Region (GOR), corresponding to approximately 500,000 individuals (rounded to the nearest 50,000), are likely to be eligible for pension credit in 200405. At 30 September 277,740 households in the London GOR, comprising 33,230 individuals, were receiving pension credit.
	
		Pension credit recipients, Hendon constituency,30 September 2004
		
			  Pension credit Savings element of pension credit 
		
		
			 Households 4,070 1,960 
			 Individuals 4,840 2,280 
			 Highest award 249.25 (25) 
			 Average award 61.38 (25) 
		
	
	(25) Not available.
	Notes:
	1. Numbers of recipients are rounded to the nearest five.
	2. Individual recipients include a small number of partners under age 60.
	3. The numbers of households and individuals in receipt of the savings element include those who were receiving the savings element only and those who were receiving both the savings and guarantee elements.
	4. The maximum possible award for the savings element is 20.22.

Carers (Respite Leave)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support is given to enable carers to take respite leave.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 strengthens the rights of carers to an assessment of their own needs as carers. It gives local councils mandatory duties to support carers by providing them with services and short breaks, as well as providing direct payments for carers' services.
	Breaks can be provided directly by the council or independent sector providers or through short-term break voucher schemes or direct payments.
	The carers' grant was introduced in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and services for carers in England. The grant has increased annually from 20 million in the first year and has provided an extra 325 million over the past five years. It is worth 125 million in 200405 and will be worth 185 million in 200506.

Child Support Agency

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 28 October 2004, Official Report, columns 5557W, on the new child support scheme progress report, upon what date the contract between EDS and the Government with respect to the new child support scheme entered into force; if he will list the sums retained by way of payments due to EDS in each year of operation of the contract; what percentage of the sums retained prior to the period 3 March 2003 to 19 September 2004 have since been paid to EDS; what the total estimated value of the contract between EDS and the Government with respect to the new child support scheme is; and what actions or omission on the part of EDS would amount to material breach of the contract between EDS and the Government.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Ms Annabelle Ewing, dated 16 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 28th October Official Report columns 5557W on the new child support scheme progress report upon what date the contract between EDS and .the Government with respect to the new child support scheme entered into force; if he will list the sums retained by way of payments due to EDS in each year of operation of the contract; what percentage of the sums retained prior to the period 3rd March 2003 to 19th September 2004 have since been paid to EDS; what the total estimated value of the contract between EDS and the Government with respect to the new child support scheme is; and what actions of omission on the part of EDS would amount to material breach of the contract as between EBS and the United Kingdom Government.
	The Child Support Reform (CSR) contract was agreed with EDS on 8 August 2000. Its provisions subsumed an interim contract, for early EDS development work, first signed in December 1999.
	All costs of design, development and implementation of the new IT system fall initially to EDS who provide this as a managed service to the Agency. The cost of the service is expected to be 456 million payable over the period to the completion of the contract in 2010. The payment due each year is determined by the contract. It is linked to service levels and to the degree of functionality delivered. Between 3rd March 2003 and 19th September 2004, EDS were paid 62.08 million in service charges. In that period the Agency retained 12.1 million because of performance problems.
	As is usual with any contract, a major failure of delivery or performance can potentially constitute material breach of that contract. Ultimately, such matters may be subject to legal challenge.

Council Tax Benefit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on how the eligibility requirements for council tax benefit differ from those for housing benefit.

Chris Pond: The entitlement conditions for the award of housing benefit to those with a rental liability and council tax benefit to those with a liability to pay council tax are broadly the same. However the rate at which these benefits are reduced if a person's income exceeds their applicable amount are different. For housing benefit the taper is 65 per cent. and for council tax benefit 20 per cent.

Ethnic Minorities

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what grants are available to local authorities to promote training, employment and housing for ethnic minorities.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions does not have the power to give grants to other organisations, including local authorities and the voluntary and community sector.

Gas Safety

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by the Health and Safety Executive in the past seven years on improvements to gas safety.

Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not routinely collect information that would provide a basis for establishing the resources spent on gas safety.

Gas Safety

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fatalities arising from gas explosions are estimated to have occurred in each year since 2000.

Jane Kennedy: The number of fatalities arising from gas explosions and/or fire from 19992000 to 200203 were as follows (commencing 1 April 1999):
	
		
			  
		
		
			 19992000 10 
			 20002001 8 
			 20012002 4 
			 20022003 5 
		
	
	Figures are not yet available for 20034.

Gas Safety

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when it was decided that a fundamental review of the gas safety regime was necessary.

Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Commission agreed in July 1998 that the review should be undertaken. HSE initiated the review process through a public discussion document in November 1999.

Gas Safety

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many gas explosions are estimated to have occurred in the home in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002 and (d) 2003.

Jane Kennedy: The number of gas-related fire and explosion incidents reported to HSE for the years 200001 to the present is as follows (commencing 1 April 1999):
	
		Number of gas-related fire and explosion incidents
		
			  
		
		
			 19992000 56 
			 20002001 38 
			 20012002 43 
			 20022003 32 
		
	
	Figures are not yet available for 20034.

Gas Supplies

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of implications of the Ghislenghien gas explosion for the safety of gas transmission and distribution systems in the UK.

Jane Kennedy: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has assessed the information available on the Ghislenghien explosion, which appears to have occurred as a result of third party damage to a high pressure gas pipeline. HSE is working in partnership with the United Kingdom Onshore Pipeline Operators' Association (UKOPA) to raise the awareness of risks from major accident hazard pipelines with construction contractors and utility companies. This work will form part of HSE's Major Hazards strategic programme for 200506.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Chris Pond: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) including the Employment Service (ES). Since that date there has been one Green Ministermy noble friend the right hon. Baroness Hollis of Heigham.

Health and Safety

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Health and Safety Executive (a) regulatory contacts and (b) investigations were carried out in Scotland in each of the last seven years.

Jane Kennedy: Tables 1 and 2 show the number of regulatory contacts and the number of investigations in Scotland respectively. The data includes all operating divisions of HSE, and figures are given for both accident and complaint investigations.
	
		Table 1HSE regulatory contacts in Scotland
		
			  Total HSE contacts 
		
		
			 199798 25,319 
			 199899 22,951 
			 19992000 24,505 
			 200001 29,841 
			 200102 28,095 
			 200203 26,687 
			 200304 29,365 
		
	
	
		Table 2HSE investigations in Scotland
		
			  Accidents and incidents Complaints Total 
		
		
			 199798 1,187 1,862 4,236 
			 199899 1,199 1,973 4,371 
			 19992000 1,403 2,553 5,359 
			 200001 2,152 2,894 7,199 
			 200102 2,196 2,221 6,613 
			 200203 1,339 1,169 3,847 
			 200304 1,308 1,093 3,710

Health and Safety

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many health and safety inspectors there are in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales; and how many there were in each year since 1998.

Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the total number of inspectors that are employed by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain. Information on the number of inspectors in England, Scotland and Wales is not routinely maintained.
	
		
			 At 1 April Number of inspectors(26) 
		
		
			 1998 1,437 
			 1999 1,497 
			 2000 1,507 
			 2001 1,534 
			 2002 1,625 
			 2003 1,651 
			 2004 1,605 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures equate to full time equivalents and have been rounded to the nearest whole number

Health and Safety

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of information being laid by the Health and Safety Executive to support a prosecution there have been in each of the last seven years, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: In the last seven years, information has been laid following Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigations, as follows:
	
		
			 HSE region 199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 
		
		
			 Wales and West 239 358 366 378 303 
			 Home Counties 166 220 253 321 300 
			 London and South East 219 223 223 204 210 
			 Midlands 258 271 188 303 438 
			 Yorkshire and North East 271 193 239 314 233 
			 North West 142 148 230 234 224 
			 Scotland 171 132 137 181 173 
		
	
	
		
			 HSE region 200102 200203 200304 (26) 
		
		
			 Wales and South West 323 223 191 
			 East and South East 351 239 364 
			 London 93 130 68 
			 Midlands 379 362 343 
			 Yorkshire and North East 297 178 258 
			 North West 178 229 164 
			 Scotland 233 197 255 
		
	
	(26) Provisional
	Notes:
	1. The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.
	2. The number of cases where information was laid in respect of separate offences by HSE in England and Wales and those approved by the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland.
	3. The figures for Information laid are those heard in court, based on date of hearing.

Health and Safety

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) enforcement notices have been served and (b) prosecutions have been initiated by health and safety inspectors under Health and Safety at Work legislation in Scotland in each of the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: In Scotland, in each of the last twelve months for which figures are available, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors issued enforcement notices and initiated prosecutions as follows:
	
		
			 200304 (27) Notices issued Prosecutions initiated 
		
		
			 April 91 4 
			 May 146 4 
			 June 191 8 
			 July 102 5 
			 August 157 3 
			 September 164 5 
			 October 148 7 
			 November 117 14 
			 December 41 10 
			 January 68 12 
			 February 62 6 
			 March 65 8 
		
	
	(27) Provisional
	Note:
	The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March.
	Figures for enforcement action by local authority health and safety enforcing officers is not available on a monthly basis. Overall figures for local authority health and safety enforcement activity for 200304 will be available in autumn 2005.

Health Projects

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what feedback his Department has received from general practitioners in the Pathways to Work pilot areas, regarding the desk aid and educational DVDs that have been distributed; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: A range of initiatives to engage with local GPs were developed for the Incapacity Benefit 'Pathways to work' pilot areas and included an online learning module, a desk aid and two educational DVDs.
	The Department has commissioned some qualitative studies with GPs in the Pathways to Work pilot areas.
	A study, to be published in spring 2005 investigates whether GPs engage with patients in 'return to work' discussions/how and when this happens, what the drivers and barriers are and GPs' knowledge and use of rehabilitation health services.
	In spring 2005 we will also publish findings from a project undertaken to evaluate the 'Engaging Physicians Benefiting Patients' pilot which included asking GPs about their knowledge of the ways in which DWP communicate with them. This evaluation covered guidance, desk aids and DVDs on medical evidence gathering for sickness certification and return to work advice for patients.
	In addition the Department has commissioned research with GPs who have registered on the DWP website to evaluate the online training, desk aid and DVD we provide to improve training for GPs in .patient interaction on issues such as sickness certification and return to work. Findings from this research will be available in autumn 2005.

Holiday Caravan Parks

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has had with local authorities regarding the safety of holiday caravan parks.

Jane Kennedy: HSE has had no central discussions with LAs regarding safety at holiday caravan parks. The Department for Work and Pensions is unable to categorically state that no discussions have taken place at the local operational level between HSE and LAs regarding safety at holiday caravan parks, especially as routine liaison meetings take place, but the information we have suggests this has not happened or is very unlikely.

Jobcentre Plus Offices (Argyll and Bute)

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his plans are for each of the Jobcentre Plus offices in the Argyll and Bute constituency.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Alan Reid, dated 16 November 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the plans for each of the Jobcentre Plus offices in the Argyll and Bute constituency. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	All four offices in your constituency have already been rolled out to offer the new Jobcentre Plus services. It is planned that these offices will remain open and continue to deliver an integrated customer facing service, providing a single access point to job vacancies and benefits for all people of working age.
	It may be helpful if I explain that Jobcentre Plus has reviewed the way in which all our benefit processing is delivered and we have been exploring ways of improving efficiency for some time. We currently process benefits in all the offices within your constituency. The processing teams in each of these offices operate with 8 staff or less and we have concluded that we should consolidate the benefit processing work into a larger site. The move to a centralised operation will concentrate expertise and experience, ensure consistency of decision-making and bring continuity of service, thereby improving customer service. It will also deliver the necessary economies of scale.
	Our plans for the roll out of the Benefit Processing Centres, including Clydebank Benefit Processing Centre are at an early stage and you will be kept informed of progress as these develop.
	I hope this is helpful.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new incapacity benefit beneficiaries there were, broken down by (a) Government office region and (b) gender in each year since 1995; and how many were (i) new entrants on to benefit and (ii) existing beneficiaries in each case.

Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what previous employment new incapacity benefit claimants had before making their claims in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) region.

Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of people making a fresh claim for incapacity benefit in each year since 2000 had been in receipt of incapacity benefit during the previous 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Period All IB/SDA commencements Number of commencements with previous IB/SDA claim in last 12 months Percentage of commencements with previous IB/SDA claim in last 12 months 
		
		
			 1 June 199931May2000 763,000 153,000 20.0 
			 1 June 200031 May 2001 750,900 151,700 20.2 
			 1 June 200131May2002 697,800 134,800 19.3 
			 1 June 200231May2003 691,000 132,000 19.1 
			 1 June 200331May2004 640,100 126,300 19.7 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Case load figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. Figures are based on persons claiming severe disablement allowance, long term or short term incapacity benefit, credits only cases, and those persons claiming IB but who have their benefit extinguished for reasons such as an overlap with another benefit, or because of hospitalisation.
	4. Some IB/SDA end dates will have been estimated at the end of a quarter, where the true end date is not known.
	5. A person is counted only once in each year, regardless of the number of times they claim and subsequently leave each benefit. If however a claimant makes a claim to IB/SDA in more than one year shown then they will appear in each year's figures.
	6. SDA is not available to new claimants from 6 April 2001. From this point, disabled people, whose period of incapacity begins before the age of 20 (or 25 if in education or training before the age of 20), may be able to receive incapacity benefit without having to satisfy the national insurance contribution conditions. SDA recipients aged below 20 at the cut-off point will transfer on to IB at the long-term rate in April 2002. Existing recipients can continue to receive the benefit for as long as they satisfy the conditions of entitlement for the benefit.
	7. Figures for the latest period (200304) will increase in due course because of late notifications not yet recorded on the computer system.
	8. Commencements include all benefit recipients and national insurance credits only cases.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples.

Incapacity Benefit

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in the London borough of Wandsworth have claimed incapacity benefit in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefits claimants in London borough ofWandsworth at dates shown
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 May 2002 8,100 
			 May 2003 8,400 
			 May 2004 8,400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Figures include all incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance claims (including IB credits only cases).
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed incapacity benefit on the grounds of poor mental health in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the following table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance claimants whose primary diagnosis is categorised as a mental orbehavioural disorder
		
			 As at May: Number 
		
		
			 1997 706,600 
			 1998 760,100 
			 1999 801,500 
			 2000 840,200 
			 2001 900,400 
			 2002 947,200 
			 2003 990,200 
			 2004 1,028,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2. Figures include national insurance credits only cases.
	3. Great Britain totals include a small number of claimants temporarily overseas.
	4. All diagnoses are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, published by the World Health Organisation.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. samples.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the overall expenditure on incapacity benefits including severe disablement allowance and income support on the grounds of incapacity (a) on the grounds of mental and behavioural disorders and (b) in total were in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: Details of the primary diagnosis of income support recipients whose benefit is paid on the grounds of ill health are not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		Expenditure on incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA)
		
			  million 
			 Year Total IB IB mental and behavioural disorders Total SDA SDA mental and behavioural disorders 
		
		
			 199798 8,786 1,669 1,184 415 
			 199899 8,354 1,755 1,134 419 
			 19992000 7,656 1,761 1,135 419 
			 200001 7,542 1,810 1,130 429 
			 200102 7,336 1,919 1,130 426 
			 200203 7,113 1,992 1,008 415 
			 200304 6,870 2,072 953 415 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest  million and are in real terms at 200405 prices.
	2. Figures for mental and behavioural disorders are based on average amounts and caseloads at August of each year.
	Source:
	DWP benefit expenditure tables and 5 per cent. sample of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance cases from the Quarterly Statistical Enquiry.

Pension Payments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with what frequency pensioners who receive a pension through a weekly order book at post offices and switch to direct payment will receive their payments; and whether they will be paid in arrears.

Chris Pond: holding answer 15 November 2004
	When a customer converts to Direct Payment from order book, payments into their chosen account are made to match the frequency and payday of their current order book payments. Payment of state pension is made in advance if paid weekly and in arrears if paid monthly or less frequently.

Pensioners

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions at what age (a) men and (b) women become eligible to receive an old age pension in each of the European Union states.

Chris Pond: The information is in the table.
	
		Pensionable age in EU member states (as at 1 May 2004)
		
			 Country Men Women Notes 
		
		
			 Austria 65 60 Equalisation of women's retirement age to 65. To be phased in between 202433 
			 Belgium 65 63 Equalisation of women's retirement age to 65. Being phased in between 19972009 
			 Cyprus 65 65  
			 Czech Republic 61 years 4 months 55 to 59 years 4 months Women's age dependent on number of children raised. Retirement ages rising gradually to 63 for men and between 59 and 63 for women, depending on number of children raised 
			 Denmark 65 65  
			 Estonia 63 59 Equalisation of women's retirement age to 63. Being phased in by 2016 
			 Finland 65 65  
			 France 60 60  
			 Germany 65 65  
			 Greece 65 65  
			 Hungary 62 59 Equalisation of women's retirement age to 62. Being phased in by 2009 
			 Ireland 65 65  
			 Italy 65 60  
			 Latvia 62 59 years 6 months Equalisation of women's retirement age to 62. Being phased in by 2008 
			 Lithuania 62 years 6 months 59 Women's retirement age gradually rising to 60 by 2006 
			 Luxembourg 65 65  
			 Malta 61 60  
			 Netherlands 65 65  
			 Poland 65 60  
			 Portugal 65 65  
			 Slovakia 62 62  
			 Slovenia 63 61  
			 Spain 65 65  
			 Sweden 61 61 Flexible pensionable age up to 67 
			 UK 65 60 Equalisation of women's retirement age to 65. To be phased in between 201020 
		
	
	Source:
	European Commission (2004) Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC).

Pensioners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK pensioners in receipt of basic state pensions are resident overseas, in (a) Commonwealth countries, (b) in EU countries and (c) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The total number of people receiving a UK state pension outside GB is 970,300, of whom: 534,200 reside in a country which is a member of the Commonwealth alone; 274,500 reside in a country which is an EU member state alone; 150,400 reside in countries outside both the EU and the Commonwealth; 8,100 reside in Cyprus and 3,100 reside in Malta, countries which are in both the EU and the Commonwealth.
	Note:
	1. Caseloads are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Figures are obtained from a 5 per cent. sample of cases and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample based on DWP administrative data as at 31 March 2004.

Pensioners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners retire on incomes higher than the average weekly wage in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The information available is set out in the table.
	
		Number of recently retired pensioner units with net income above mean and median gross weekly earnings in 200203
		
			  Number of recently retired pensioner units Percentage of recently retired pensioner units 
		
		
			 Above the mean gross weekly earnings, 2002 167,000 13 
			 Above the median gross weekly earnings, 2002 222,000 18 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Mean and median gross weekly earnings are based on the New Earnings Survey 2002 for employees in full-time work.
	2. Recently retired pensioner units are those pensioners where the head is less than five years over state pension age, excluding pensioners reporting earnings.
	3. Net income is income from all sources deducting income tax and council tax.
	Source:
	Pensioners' Incomes Series 200203, based upon data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS).

Pensioners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what he estimates the cost would be of raising the basic state pension to 105.45 per week; what the annual cost is of the pension guarantee credit at the current rate; what the cost would be of the pension guarantee credit if the maximum basic state pension were raised to 105.45 per week; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: It is estimated that the cost of increasing the full rate of the basic state pension to the level of the guarantee credit in 200506 would be 13.5 billion (gross) and 7.3 billion (net). The current forecast for spending on pension credit in 200506 is 5.7 billion which, it is estimated, would reduce to 2.1 billion if the rate of the full basic state pension was increased to the level of the guarantee credit.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are for Great Britain and overseas in 200405 price terms, using the Gross Domestic Product deflator index, rounded to the nearest 100 million.
	2. It is assumed that the full rate of basic state pension is increased to the level of the individual guarantee credit in 200506 and that both are increased in line with earnings. The married woman's (60 per cent.) rate of Category B basic state pension and rates of pension paid to people entitled to less than the full rate of basic state pension are increased by the same proportion.
	3. Gross basic state pension costs are estimated by the Government Actuary's Department, are consistent with Budget 2004 assumptions and use 2002-based population projections. Basic state pension costs refer to the additional costs after allowing for consequential changes to national insurance fund benefits and non-income-vote benefits.
	4. Costs net of income related benefits (savings credit, guarantee credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit) and income tax are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model for 200506. It is assumed that the savings credit is abolished.
	5. Some people who are without full contribution records, or who qualify for premiums in pension credit (such as severe disability premium), may continue to receive guarantee credit. It should also be noted that pension credit is paid to those over 60, and men aged 6064 are not be entitled to basic state pension.
	6. Estimates for pension credit spending under current policies taken from published DWP forecasts.

Somalian Nationals

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what action he has taken to raise awareness among Somalian residents of training opportunities provided by his Department;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to increase employment opportunities for resident Somalian nationals.
	(3)  if he will meet representatives of Somalian nationals to discuss integration into the UK employment market.

Jane Kennedy: We are committed to providing a fair and equal service to all our customers, irrespective of their race or cultural background. At a local level, we consult widely with communities to raise awareness of the opportunities available, and to identify the most appropriate provision. Somali nationals resident in the UK have access to the full range of Jobcentre Plus services.
	People with basic skills needs, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), can, at their personal adviser's discretion, have early entry to training and employment programmes to support them into employment. These include the New Deal, which has already helped more than 111,000 ethnic minority people into work; as well as Work Based Learning for Adults, which offers people a range of occupational skills and gives them the opportunity of working towards a recognised qualification that will increase their chances of finding work.
	We also have a range of initiatives specifically aimed at increasing employment among ethnic minority groups. These include setting stretching job entry targets for areas with high ethnic minority populations; Ethnic Minority Outreach, which operates in similar areas and aims to help ethnic minority people with little or no contact with Jobcentre Plus to engage with our services and with the wider labour market; and the Ethnic Minority Flexible Fund, which provides funding for Jobcentre Plus at a local level to initiate innovative measures to help more ethnic minority people find work.
	I would be happy to arrange, in the first instance, a meeting between my officials and representatives of Somalian nationals to discuss their employment needs.

Winter Fuel Allowance

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many senior citizens in Bury, North were in receipt of the winter fuel allowance in each of the last seven years.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of senior citizens in Bury, North constituency who have received a winter fuel payment in each year since 19992000 is in the table. Information relating to the 199798 and 199899 winters is not available.
	
		
			  Payments made 
		
		
			 19992000 15,295 
			 200001 17,180 
			 200102 17,385 
			 200203 17,480 
			 200304 17,825 
		
	
	Note:
	Numbers are rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. samples.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

European Union

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many pages of the acquis communautaire are in operation in the United Kingdom.

Denis MacShane: The acquis communautaire is not a document. The term, translated as 'Community Patrimony', stands for the wide-ranging principles, practices, policies, obligations, objectives and laws that have been agreed or have developed in the European Union. These include, most noticeably, the Treaties in their entirety, as well as all existing EU legislation and Court of Justice judgements.
	In principle, all of the acquis communautaire applies to the UK (indeed to all EU Member States) with the exception of opt-outs and legislation yet to be implemented.

European Union

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government are taking to increase awareness among UK citizens of the work of the European Union.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a programme of activities to raise awareness of the EU. We are producing and distributing a range of materials to communicate the facts about the EU, including the Guide to the European Union, which was launched on 1 November.
	Additionally, I am leading a programme of ministerial visits around the country to discuss European issues with the public. These include business seminars, cultural events, radio-phone-ins and public debates. We are also developing our e-communications and have a dedicated EU website. I also provide interviews and articles for a wide range of publications.

Asylum Seekers

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research has been undertaken to monitor the treatment of asylum seekers deported from Britain; and what proportion of failed asylum seekers suffered imprisonment, torture or death within 12 months of their deportation from the UK in the last period for which figures are available.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	Each asylum claim is considered on its own merits taking account of relevant country information, caselaw and factors specific to the individual claim. Where a decision has been taken that an individual would not be at risk if returned to their country and that decision has been upheld by the independent appellate authorities we consider that it is safe for that individual to be removed.
	We do not consider it necessary to research the treatment of failed asylum seekers who have been removed in accordance with the proper procedures. However, any reliable information about the treatment of returned asylum seekers in a particular country will be referred to in the appropriate country information materials produced by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and will therefore form part of the individual assessment of asylum claims made by nationals of that country.

Belarus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the primary (a) import and (b) export goods and services are between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Belarus.

Douglas Alexander: The latest figures are found in the following table, which show the top 10 commodities imported from and exported to Belarus in pounds sterling in 2003 and in the first eight months of 2004. The figures for trade in services between the UK and Belarus could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		UK top 10 exports and imports of goods from Belarus: 2003
		
			 Rank SITC(28) Description 000 
		
		
			 Total UK exports  39,182 
			 1. 71 Power generating machinery and equipment 13,916 
			 2. 72 Machinery specialised for particular industries 2,929 
			 3. 74 General industrial machinery and machine parts nes 2,542 
			 4. 69 Manufactures of metal nes 2,453 
			 5. 77 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes 1,871 
			 6. 64 Paper, paperboard, and articles of paper pulp; etc. 1,647 
			 7. 59 Chemical materials and products nes 1,321 
			 8. 26 Textile fibres 1,320 
			 9. 89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes 1,119 
			 10. 55 Essential oils and resinoids and perfume materials 1,065 
			 
			 Total UK imports  22,672 
			 1. 84 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories 7,619 
			 2. 33 Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials 6,033 
			 3. 67 Iron and steel 5,903 
			 4. 56 Fertilisers (other than those of group 272) 799 
			 5. 87 Professional, scientific and controlling instruments nes 498 
			 6. 63 Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) 334 
			 7. 78 Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) 288 
			 8. 62 Rubber manufactures nes 228 
			 9. 52 Inorganic chemicals 126 
			 10. 89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes 123 
		
	
	
		UK top 10 exports and imports of goods from Belarus: January to August 2004
		
			  
			 Rank SITC(28) Description 000 
		
		
			 Total UK exports   30,591 
			 1. 71 Power generating machinery and equipment 12,008 
			 2. 69 Manufactures of metal nes 1,971 
			 3. 26 Textile fibres 1,482 
			 4. 12 Tobacco and tobacco manufactures 1,472 
			 5. 74 General industrial machinery and machine parts nes 1,379 
			 6. 64 Paper, paperboard, and articles of paper pulp; etc. 1,286 
			 7. 89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes 1,046 
			 8. 72 Machinery specialised for particular industries 1,043 
			 9. 77 Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances nes 1,010 
			 10. 75 Office machines and ADP machines 909 
			 
			 Total UK imports   35,029 
			 1. 33 Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials 20,394 
			 2. 84 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories 5,821 
			 3. 67 Iron and steel 4,821 
			 4. 24 Cork and wood 1,285 
			 5. 78 Road vehicles (including air-cushion vehicles) 758 
			 6. 62 Rubber manufactures nes 549 
			 7. 63 Cork and wood manufactures (excluding furniture) 396 
			 8. 89 Miscellaneous manufactured articles nes 242 
			 9. 87 Professional, scientific and controlling instruments nes 221 
			 10. 72 Machinery specialised for particular industries 104 
		
	
	nes = not elsewhere specified
	(28) Standard International Trade Classification
	Source:
	HM Customs and Excise

Chairman Arafat

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Palestinian authorities regarding the condition of Chairman Arafat.

Bill Rammell: During President Arafat's illness officials remained in close touch with members of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem and Paris. President Arafat died in the early hours of Thursday 11 November. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary issued statements on the 11th following President Arafat's death.
	Palestinian basic law stipulates that presidential elections should be held within 60 days. It is for the Palestinian people to elect any future president. The UK Government will continue to support the Palestinian people and the transitional Palestinian leadership.

China

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Chinese Government on the subject of the arrest of church leaders in Xinjiang Autonomous Region on 12 July.

Bill Rammell: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Officials raised the mass arrests of religious practitioners in Xinjiang Autonomous Region with Deputy Director General of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, Wang Zuo'an during the latter's visit to the UK in September.
	We are deeply concerned about religious freedom in China. We use the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue to raise our concerns about these and other human rights issues with the Chinese Government. At the last round, held in May, we noted our concern that the prohibition of some religious groups and the legal restrictions placed upon members of others were tantamount to a denial of their members' freedom of religious belief.

China

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese authorities on the situation of Pastor Gong Shengliang of the South China Church and Mr. Zhang Yinan.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of the cases of both Pastor Gong Shengliang and Zhang Yinan.
	UK officials raised our concerns about Pastor Gong with the Chinese Government in May 2004. We also supported an EU demarche on his, and other cases, on 17 June.
	We are deeply concerned about religious freedom in China, including the treatment of Christians, and monitor the situation closely. We raise religious freedom, the issue of torture and other human rights issues regularly with the Chinese Government, including during our biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue. We are also funding projects in China, which aim to reduce the incidence of torture.

Colombia

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much military aid has been given to Colombia since 1994.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 15 November 2004
	In financial years 200304 and 200405 the cost of military assistance provided by the UK to the Colombian armed forces was around 120,000 per year. This assistance focused primarily on Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and provision of training courses to members of the Colombian armed forces both in Colombia and in the UK. It aims to reduce the number of deaths, both civilian and military, from explosive devices, and at introducing Colombian military personnel to British defence concepts in key areas such as Rules of Engagement and democratic and accountable control of the armed forces. We have also trained elements of the Colombian Authorities engaged in Counter-Narcotics work.
	We anticipate a similar programme in the financial year 200506.
	The information for previous years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Croatia

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Croatia is expected to start accession negotiations with the European Union.

Denis MacShane: The European Council of 1718 June 2004 decided that Croatia is a candidate country for membership and that the accession process should be launched. It also emphasised that Croatia needs to maintain full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal on Yugoslavia (ICTY) and take all necessary steps to ensure that the remaining indictee, Ante Gotovina, is located and transferred to the Hague. This Government strongly supports Croatia's EU candidacy but Croatia must continue to comply with its ICTY obligations.

Cyprus

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring of (a) imports and (b) immigration to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is being carried out following the EU decision to treat the Green Line as not being a border of the EU for importation and immigration purposes.

Denis MacShane: The entire island of Cyprus acceded to the EU in May this year. Pending a settlement to the current division of the island, the application of the acquis communautaire has been suspended in the north. This means that the line between the areas in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus exercises effective control and the areas where it does not is not an external border of the EU. A special regulation (8208/04) has been passed setting out rules concerning the crossing of goods, services and persons to ensure an equivalent standard of protection while facilitating intra island trade and other links. A copy of the Green Line Regulation is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Staff (Upper Age Limits)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which it is responsible (i) have a set retirement age which applies to all or most personnel and (ii) have a maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered; and what the age is in each case.

Douglas Alexander: pursuant to his reply, 11 October 2004, Official Report, c. 31W
	There was an error in my answer of 11 October to the hon. Member. The correct answer should read as follows:
	In the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including its Wilton Park agency, all officers have a set retirement age of 60 years. However, if band A (clerical) officers wish to postpone their retirement they may do so up to 65 years and band B (junior management), band C (middle management) and band D (senior management) may do so up to 63 years.
	Members of the Diplomatic Service are recruited up to 52 years to allow time for training and tours of duty at home and abroad before retirement. Members of the FCO Home Civil Service cadre are recruited up to 57 years to allow time for a normal tour of duty in a home job before retirement.

EU Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether equal status will be awarded to the (a) UK Parliament, (b) Scottish Parliament and (c) National Assembly for Wales in the consultation process for proposed legislation stipulated in the EU constitution.

Denis MacShane: The Protocol on the Role of National Parliaments in the European Union and the Protocol on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality provide for the transmission of draft European legislative Acts to national Parliamentsin our case, the United Kingdom Parliament. Article 6 of the Protocol on subsidiarity and proportionality, which provides reasoned opinions to be submitted on compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, also states that
	it will be for each national Parliament or each chamber of a national Parliament to consult, where appropriate, regional parliaments with legislative powers.

EU Constitution

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the areas of European Union legislation, together with their current relevant bases in constitutional treaties in force, for which the coming into force of the proposed constitutional treaty will change the requirement for unanimity.

Denis MacShane: In the EU constitution signed by Heads of State and Government at the European Council on 18 June 2004, 15 Articles (or sub-paragraphs) would move from a unanimous voting mechanism to Qualified Majority Voting. These are: Articles I-37(3) (Article 202 TEC), I-54(4) (Article 269 TEC), III-136 (Article 42 TEC), III-141.1b (Article 27 TEC), III-187(3a) (Article 107 TEC), III-236 Article 71 TEC), III-270 (Article 31(1) TEU), III-273 (Article 31(2) TEU), III-275 (Article 30(1) TEU), III-276 (Article 30(2) TEU), III-280 (Article 151 TEC), III-359 (Article 225a TEC), III-364 (Article 229a TEC), III-381 (Article 245 TEC) and III-382 (Article 112 TEC). One of these Articles (III-136) has an emergency brake mechanism which allows a member state an effective veto. Article (III-270) has an emergency brake mechanism which can lead to enhanced co-operation, allowing a member state not to participate in the action concerned.
	Under the EU constitution, the UK would retain its existing 'Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland on policies in respect of border controls, asylum and immigration, and on judicial co-operation in civil matters' and therefore retains the right to take part in such measures on a case by case basis. Articles III-265 (Article 62 TEC), 266 (Article 63(1) and (2) and 64(2) TEC), and 267 (Article 63(3) and (4) TEC), covered by this protocol, now provide for decisions by QMV under the new treaty, but the treaty of Amsterdam provided anyway for a potential move to QMV from 1 May 2004. A council decision to endorse this move is currently being negotiated. Of the articles mentioned above, the protocol also covers Articles III-260 (under certain circumstances), and III-275(2a). The above references use the revised article numbering as it appears in the final text. I have made available a table summarising these changes in the Library of the House.

EU Enlargement

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with representatives of other European Union countries regarding the prospects of new member countries joining the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have regular discussions with EU partners about EU enlargement, most recently at the European Council on 45 November when the Commission presented its latest progress reports on the enlargement candidates. The Foreign Secretary discussed Turkey's bid for EU membership with the Belgian Foreign Minister, Karel de Gucht, on 9 November. I discussed Turkey's membership with fellow Europe Ministers in Brussels on 4 November and Croatia's bid with the Hungarian Foreign Minister, Ferenc Somogyi on 11 November. On these and other occasions, we reaffirmed the support of the UK Government for the membership prospects of all EU candidates, provided they fulfil the necessary criteria for membership.

EU Enlargement

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further expansion of the EU he supports; and what the largest geographical extent of the EU is that the UK would support.

Denis MacShane: There are four existing EU candidatesBulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia. In addition, the European Council agreed at Thessaloniki in June 2003 that the countries of the Western Balkans (Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania) are all potential future EU candidates. The UK strongly supports each country's EU aspirations provided they meet the appropriate criteria. Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union states that any European state, which respects fundamental European values, may apply to become a member of the Union. No decision has yet been taken whether to offer the prospect of EU membership to other countries.

EU/UK Law

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) additional scrutiny safeguards are applied and (b) minimum negotiating positions are strengthened by the UK Government in respect of EU proposals where UK primary legislation relating to a proposal has been passed in the last three years.

Denis MacShane: If the UK Parliament had recently agreed primary legislation in a particular area, this would be reflected in the Explanatory Memorandum which accompanies all draft European laws deposited with Parliament for scrutiny. The Government would of course take this into account during any relevant European negotiations.

European Court of Justice

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list cases which the UK has referred to the European Court of Justice in relation to (a) legal base and (b) the principle of subsidiarity in each of the last five years; and what the outcome was in each case.

Denis MacShane: In the last five years the UK has made two applications to the ECJ in relation to legal base and they are:
	ECJ Case C-61/04 UK v. EP  Council: application for annulment of Regulation 2065/2003 on smoke flavourings used or intended for use in or on foods; and
	ECJ Case C-217/04 UK v. EP  Council: application for annulment of Regulation 460/2004 establishing the European Network and Information Security Agency.
	Both challenges are on the basis that Article 95 is not an appropriate legal base for the Community to establish centralised EU procedures and bodies. Article 95 allows for the harmonisation of national laws and provisions and requires qualified majority voting. HMG believes that such measures should only be adopted unanimously and that Article 308 (which requires unanimity) is the correct legal basis for such measures. We have not been given a hearing date for either case yet.
	No applications have been made in relation to the principle of subsidiarity.

Freedom of Information Act 2000

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The cost of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) will depend on the number and complexity of the requests received. The resources of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) central unit dealing with FOI have been strengthened to cope with the anticipated demands of the FOIA and contingency arrangements are in place to augment the unit further should need arise. These additional costs are being met from within the existing FCO budget.

Iran

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government have made to the government of Iran about the sentence of death by stoning given to 13 year old Zhila Izadi; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 25 October 2004
	We have made clear to the Iranian authorities, including by my noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean to the Iranian Ambassador in London, our deep concern at media reports that Ms Izadi has been sentenced to death by stoning. The Iranian authorities have indicated to us that Ms Izadi will not be executed, and that she, and her brother, have been transferred to a welfare organisation.
	With our strong support, the use of the death penalty has been an important theme of the EU/Iran Human Rights Dialogue, including the most recent round in June.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the reasons for the continued detention of Amir Hamudi Hasan Al Sadi by coalition forces in Iraq; what the conditions of his detention are; what access (a) the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and (b) his family has to him; what views the ICRC has expressed on his detention; and whether a date has been set for his trial.

Bill Rammell: I am not in a position to provide details on individuals held by the US. Mr. Al Sadi's case will be reviewed by the detainee review committee in the same way as all other cases. I am aware that the ICRC has visited Mr. Al Sadi. I cannot comment on ICRC observations, since the ICRC reports confidentially to the detaining authority, in this case the US.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what decisions have been made as to which regiments will be sent to Iraq when the Black Watch forces return to the UK in December.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no plans to replace the one Black Watch Battlegroup when it returns to the United Kingdom in December.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his Answer of 11 October 2004, Official Report, columns 7556W, on Iraq, whom the British officials, told by Mr. Turki about his concerns in September 2003, informed about his representations; if he will list the British officials concerned; and whether Mr. Turki mentioned specific detention facilities.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 28 October 2004
	Mr. Turki raised some general concerns in Baghdad in a meeting with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Human Rights to Iraq, my right hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) and a British official, in September 2003. On her return to the UK, Ms Clwyd reported these concerns to the Prime Minister, in a meeting on 15 October 2003. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials followed up these concerns with the US. In the afore mentioned meeting, Mr. Turki said that a number of individual complaints of poor conditions had been raised with him, but he did not go into detail about specific complaints or facilities.

Ivory Coast

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of France on bringing about (a) an immediate cease-fire in and (b) an early withdrawal of French troops from the Ivory Coast.

Chris Mullin: The International Community, including France and the United Kingdom, has urged all sides in the Ivorian conflict to respect the cease-fire of May 2003. We will continue to do so.
	The French peacekeepers in Cte d'Ivoire operate under a UN mandate. Their presence is a result of an agreement between the French and Ivorian governments. We will review the position of all foreign troops in Cte d'Ivoire with France and other members of the UN Security Council once the security and political situation in Cte d'Ivoire has clarified.

Ivory Coast

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring he is undertaking of the situation in the Ivory Coast, with particular reference to (a) civilian casualties and (b) the role of French troops.

Chris Mullin: We have continually monitored the situation in Cte d'Ivoire, including the role of French troops, through our Embassy, the UN, the media and humanitarian organisations on the ground such as Human Rights Watch and the International Committee for the Red Cross. However, this coverage is now reduced following the departure of our British diplomatic staff on 13 November.

Kidnapping (Britons)

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British citizens have been kidnapped in foreign countries in the past five years.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 15 November 2004
	According to our records, 74 British nationals have been reported kidnapped overseas in the last five years. However, not all kidnaps are notified to us. Some incidents are over very quickly and without any HMG involvement.

North Korea

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had regarding North Korea's nuclear weapons programme; and what research he has commissioned concerning the possible threats that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme poses to international security.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have discussions with a wide range of interlocutors on counter-proliferation including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear aspirations. Most recently my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (Mr. Rammell) visited DPRK from 1114 September, where the issue of DPRK's nuclear aspirations was an important element of his discussions. A statement about this visit was made to the House on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 18688WS.
	Information on the DPRK nuclear weapons programme is also available to FCO officials from a number of other sources both within and outside Government. It is evaluated continually by them and by experts in other Departments to determine, among other things, the level of threat posed to the UK and internationally. The Foreign Secretary has not asked for other specific research on the DPRK nuclear weapons threat to be undertaken.

Nuclear Disarmament

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals to strengthen nuclear non-proliferation were put by the United Kingdom to the most recent session of the United Nations General Assembly's (UNGA) Committee on Disarmament; which proposals on non-proliferation put forward by other states the UK (a) supported and (b) abstained on; if he will list the resolutions debated during this session of the Committee; what the reasons were for the way the United Kingdom voted in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: At the most recent session of the UN General Assembly First Committee on Disarmament (4 October5 November) the United Kingdom co-sponsored a number of resolutions on non-proliferation. These included: L31 measures to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, L49 prevention of the illicit transfer and unauthorised access to and use of man-portable air defence systems, and L50 Hague Code of Conduct against ballistic missiles.
	The UK also joined consensus on L5 national legislation on the transfer of arms, military equipment, dual use goods and technology, and supported L37 risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
	A full list of all 57 resolutions tabled at this year's First Committee with the United Kingdom's voting record and copies of the explanations of vote offered by the United Kingdom to the Committee will shortly be published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/ukdis.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote the peace process in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We welcome the progress that has been made in the peace process since the ceasefire came into effect in February 2002. We are however concerned that there have been no direct peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam since April 2003. We are working closely with international partners to encourage all parties to return to the negotiating table. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, explained our concern that peace negotiations need to be resumed quickly in meetings with the Sri Lankan President in June, and the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in July. We are supporting small-scale peacebuilding activities in Sri Lanka with funding from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool and the Department for International Development. The details of a final peace settlement in Sri Lanka will, of course, be for the Sri Lankans to decide. We are keen that any settlement should be one that takes account of the legitimate demands of all communities within a democratic and stable Sri Lanka.

Subsidiarity

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what point in the EU decision-making process it is the policy of the UK to refer disputes over subsidiarity to the European Court of Justice.

Denis MacShane: The Government takes a view on subsidiarity in respect of all draft European laws and communicates this view to the UK Parliament through an Explanatory Memorandum. If the Government felt that a particular draft law breached the subsidiarity principle then it would seek to address this during negotiations and if necessary oppose adoption of the measure. In the event that a measure was adopted which we felt constituted a breach of the subsidiarity principle then, in line with other challenges on procedural issues, we would consider referring a case to the European Court of Justice at that point.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the regime in Khartoum on the forced movement of internally displaced people in the camps in Darfur; and what discussions he has had with the UN on this.

Chris Mullin: We are gravely concerned by the forced relocations of people in camps in Darfur. This appears to be a breach of international humanitarian law, as well as the established mechanisms on relocations. We have repeatedly made clear to the Government of Sudan that all returns must be voluntary and appropriate and carried out with full and prior consultation with the international community, as agreed in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Sudan and the International Organisation for Migration.
	During our respective visits to Sudan, both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I met the UN Special Representative to Sudan, Jan Pronk. We discussed the need for a co-ordinated international response on the protection of civilians, including displaced persons, in Darfur.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the Sudan Liberation Army.

Chris Mullin: I met the leadership of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army when they visited London on 13 October. I pressed them on the need to abide by the ceasefire, to sign the Humanitarian Protocol, and to engage fully on negotiating a Security Protocol. We welcome the signing of both Protocols in Abuja on 9 November.

Trafficking/Illegal Weapons Export

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many countries have taken up the UK's offer of help in meeting the 28 October deadline for making a report to the UN on (a) trafficking prevention and export controls of illicit weapons trade and (b) how dangerous weapons-related materials are secured; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The UK was approached by a number of states seeking advice on the structure and scope of national reports under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540. In response to these approaches, the UK circulated widely its own draft report on 13 August in order to provide a possible model for others to follow. The UK formally submitted its national report to the 1540 Committee on 29 September, and my right honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary made a written statement on 11 October Official Report, column 3WS.
	We remain fully committed to the work of the 1540 Committee in ensuring global implementation of this resolution, includingwhere appropriatethrough providing assistance or advice to others.

Turkey

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2004, Official Report, column 523W, on Turkey (Penal Code), whether the introductory paper to the new Turkish penal codes refers to the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus and the Armenian Genocide in its explanatory notes on Article 305; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Article 305 concerns Turkish citizens acting against national interests in return for material benefits from a foreign individual or organisation. The wording of this article only refers to such national interests as independence, territorial integrity and national security. There is no mention of Cyprus or the Armenian genocide.
	The explanatory note to this Article, designed as guidance to the judiciary, remains unchanged from the guidance drafted under the previous government. It states that in this context (of receiving material benefits from a foreign individual or organisation) a citizen who demands the withdrawal of troops from Cyprus, or declares that the Armenian genocide took place during the First World War, can be pursued by virtue of this article.
	This explanatory note, however, does not have the same legal status as the Penal Code and is not legally binding.
	The Commission has made it clear to Turkey that they expect the language not to be taken into consideration when interpreting Article 305. The Commission, with our support, will monitor implementation of the law closely to ensure Turkey meets its international legal obligations, including those concerning freedom of expression under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights.

Ukraine

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to monitor the presidential election in Ukraine.

Denis MacShane: The United Kingdom made the largest contribution to the OSCE's Election Observer Mission to the first round of Ukraine's presidential election on 31 October. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded 60 short-term observers and five long-term observers together with the OSCE's Deputy Head of Mission. We shall repeat this for the second round scheduled for 21 November.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Regional Referendum

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many cases of electoral fraud are being investigated arising from the North East Regional Assembly referendum.

Nick Raynsford: The Chief Counting Officer is not aware of any cases of electoral fraud that are being investigated arising from the North East Regional Assembly referendum.

Buildings (TV Reception)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what remedies are available to residents when building developments interfere with the quality of television reception.

Keith Hill: There are essentially two types of interference: electromagnetic interference, usually caused by a radio transmitter or other electrical equipment; and physical interference, due to some obstruction or reflection of the signal by a building or other large object, such as a crane.
	While the wireless telegraphy legislation is in place to avoid creating undue radio interference with other users (including domestic television sets), the second type of interferencephysical interferencecannot be dealt with under radio legislation.
	There are, of course, a number of electronic ways to boost a weakened television signal, which is the result of interference from another building, many of which are inexpensive and widely available.
	In addition, digital television signals are generally more robust than analogue in terms of signal strength and are becoming accessible in an increasing number of areas. Thus, as viewers change to digital television, such problems as interference caused by reflections from structures can be expected to diminish over time.

Circular 1/94

John Horam: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish a revised Circular 1/94.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to publish a revised draft of Circular 1/94 (Gypsy Sites and Planning) for consultation before the end of the year.

Community Housing Task Force

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that the private financial and consultancy sectors involved in the operations of the Community Housing Task Force contribute financially to its work.

Keith Hill: There are no private financial and consultancy sectors involved in the operations of the Community Housing Task Force (CHTF).

Compulsory purchase

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what circumstances a house can be compulsorily purchased; and whether compensation is paid.

Keith Hill: Many enactments provide powers for the compulsory acquisition of land, including houses. These are usually expressed in terms appropriate to the functions of the particular acquiring authority concerned rather than the existing use of the land being acquired. The principle underlying the exercise of all such compulsory purchase powers is that there must be a compelling case in the public interest.
	The Land Compensation Act 1961 establishes that compensation is payable where an interest in land is compulsorily acquired. The principle underlying the level of compensation payable is that persons with an interest in the land should be left no worse off and no better off in monetary terms after the acquisition than before. The amount claimable will depend on the circumstances of the individual case.

Consultancy Projects

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Consultants

John Maples: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case (a) the name of the consulting company, (b) the value of the contract and (c) the purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Contaminated Land

Patsy Calton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Secretaries of State for (a) Health and (b) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the development of contaminated land.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for Hamilton, North and Bellshill (Dr. Reid) and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) were consulted by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on the preparation of Planning Policy Statement 23: Planning and Pollution Control. This incorporates an Annex on the development of land affected by contamination. It was published on 3 November 2004.

Copyrighted Material

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities about the reproduction of local authority-owned copyrighted material by political parties; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not issued guidance to local authorities about the reproduction of local authority-owned copyrighted material by political parties.

Decent Homes Standard

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the independent companies appointed to conduct consultations into achieving the Government's Decent Homes Standard; and how much they are being paid.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not employed any independent companies to conduct consultations into achieving the Decent Homes Standard.
	It is for individual local authorities to determine their need for consultations conducted by independent companies, and how much they are prepared to pay them.

Decent Homes Standard

Tim Loughton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to achieve compliance with the Decent Homes Standard.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has increased spending on social housing, through a mix of public and private money. Since 1997 spending by local authorities has increased by 13 per cent. in real terms amounting to 13 billion. On top of this we have made around 4 billion available for Arms Length Management Organisations and 2.6 billion for Private Finance Initiative (PFI), with 5.3 billion levered in through stock transfer. Local authorities should have Options Appraisals, which select their route to delivery, signed off by Government Offices by July 2005.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created on 29 May 2002. In the financial year 200203 the cost of creative work was covered by a commission of 8.5 per cent. on the total media spend. This equates to 284,750 spent through the agency Euro RSCG. The total media spend came to 3.35 million spent through the media agency CARAT Communications.
	In 200304 the cost of creative work was covered by a commission of 7.5 per cent. on the total media spend. This equates to 307,500 spent through the agency Euro RSCG. The total media spend was 4.1 million through the media agency CARAT Communications.
	In 200405 the estimated cost of creative work on fire safety advertising will be 8.5 per cent. on an estimated media spend of 2.9 million. This equates to 246,500 spent through Euro RSCG. The cost of creative work on the elected regional assembly advertising campaign was 465,000 spent through Robson Brown. The total estimated media spend for 200405 is 4.4 million spent through CARAT communications.
	Costs for administration are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

East of England Assembly

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost has been of (a) setting up and (b) running the East of England assembly since its inception.

Nick Raynsford: Between April 2001 and March 2004 the East of England regional assembly was awarded a Government grant of 2,974,000.

Fire Authorities

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of projected cost savings in each fire authority resulting from integrated risk management plans.

Nick Raynsford: Under Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) it is up to each Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) to assess the risks faced by its communities and to consider how best to use resources to meet its area's needs. Savings in some areas may allow increased provision in others where there is greater scope for saving lives. Fire and rescue authorities are also expected to pursue best value for local council taxpayers.

Fire Service

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to remove rescue tenders from the fire and rescue stations in (a) Retford and (b) Newark.

Nick Raynsford: None. The deployment of rescue tenders in Retford and Newark is a matter for the local fire authority.
	Each fire and rescue authority (FRA) is requested to develop its own Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) and action plan.
	IRMPs provide the strategic overview that is used by fire authorities to determine immediate and future policy decisions.
	Any proposals to change its IRMP should form part of the consultation on their action plan which all fire and rescue authorities are required to undertake.

Home Ownership

William Cash: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on large scale voluntary transfer of housing in Staffordshire.

Keith Hill: Stafford borough council were given a place on the 2004 transfer programme. They are proposing a whole stock transfer, a total of 6,091 properties, to a new Registered Social Landlords (RSL), Stafford and Rural Homes. The council are currently drafting their offer document. The stage one notice informing tenants of the transfer proposal and likely consequences is set to go out in January 2005, with the stage 2 letter following in February or March. A ballot is scheduled to start in March 2005, although no date has been set. If the council receives a yes vote they will have until March 2006 to complete the transfer.

Home Ownership

William Cash: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local authorities are planning to ballot their tenants on possible large scale voluntary housing transfer.

Keith Hill: Seventeen local authorities on the 2003 and 2004 transfer programme are currently planning to ballot their tenants.

Homelessness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of priority homelessness was in (a) England and (b) Greater London in each year since 1993.

Phil Hope: Estimates of the number of homeless households accepted by local authorities in England and London as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need under homelessness legislation in each year since 1993, is in the table.
	
		
			  England London 
		
		
			 1993 127,630 31,570 
			 1994 118,490 28,690 
			 1995 117,490 26,690 
			 1996 113,590 25,730 
			 1997 102,000 24,370 
			 1998 104,630 26,310 
			 1999 105,370 28,380 
			 2000 111,340 28,230 
			 2001 118,610 31,370 
			 2002 125,330 30,320 
			 2003 137,440 32,330 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)
	After being accepted as homeless, a household will be placed in some form of accommodation. They may be placed in temporary accommodation, until a settled solution becomes available, or they may be given a settled solution straight away depending on the accommodation available to the local authority. Alternatively, if possible, the household may remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home). In addition to estimates of statutory homeless households, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister publishes annual estimates of the number of people sleeping rough.
	The priority need groups include households with dependent children or a pregnant woman and people who are vulnerable in some way, e.g. because of mental illness or physical disability. An Order made under the 1996 Act, brought into force in July 2002, extended the priority need categories to include, additionally: applicants aged 16 or 17; applicants aged 18 to 20 who were previously in care; applicants vulnerable as a result of time spent in care, in custody, or in HM Forces, and applicants vulnerable as a result of having to flee their home because of violence. This widening of priority need has contributed to recent increases but means more vulnerable people are receiving help when they need it.

Low-cost Housing (Islington)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many shared ownership properties were sold in Islington in each year since 1997; and how many of those properties were purchased by a person (a) already in social housing in that area, (b) on the single housing register in that area and (c) a key worker.

Keith Hill: Estimates of annual shared ownership sales in Islington from 199798 to 200304 are in the table.
	
		
			  Total shared ownership sales in Islington Shared ownership sales to people who were previously social tenants in Islington Shared ownership sales to purchasers who were registered on a local authority waiting list/common housing register 
		
		
			 199798 28 10 16 
			 199899 67 6 31 
			 19992000 48 8 36 
			 200001 35 7 23 
			 200102 42 16 25 
			 200203 137 22 68 
			 200304 82 13 40 
		
	
	Note:
	The occupation of purchasers was not collected as part of CORE Sales during the period 199798 to 200304. Consequently it is not possible to provide figures on the number of key workers that bought shared ownership properties in Islington during this period.
	Source:
	Housing Corporation: CORE Sales

Low-cost Housing (Islington)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will break down the low cost homeownership units planned for Islington in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme by (a) conventional shared ownership, (b) Do-It-Yourself shared ownership and (c) Homebuy;
	(2)  if he will break down the low cost homeownership units planned for Islington in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme by (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed or more units.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation have so far allocated resources to fund a total of 299 shared ownership dwellings and 342 Homebuy dwellings in Islington over the years 200406. In 1999, Homebuy was introduced into the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme to replace the Do-It-Yourself shared ownership scheme.
	The following table shows the split of low cost homeownership schemes by one, two, three and four or more bedrooms. The figure for Homebuy Market Purchase cannot be broken down until the individual properties are purchased.
	
		Low cost homeownership in Islington
		
			  Dwellings One bed Two bed Three bed Four bed 
		
		
			 Homebuy Market Purchase (for North London, including Islington) 342 (29) (29) (29) (29) 
			 Conventional shared ownershipkeyworker 260 138 114 8 0 
			 Conventional shared ownershipother 39 7 32 0 0 
			 Total 641 145 146 8 0

Mobile Phone Masts

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his planning policy for mobile phone masts.

Keith Hill: Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in the revised Planning Policy Guidance Note 8: Telecommunications. The general policy is to facilitate the growth of telecommunications systems while protecting the environment.
	I refer the hon. Member to the debate given by my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) on 18 October 2004, Official Report, column 739.

North West Development Agency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new members of the North West Development Agency are (a) women and (b) black or Asian.

Nick Raynsford: The North West Development Agency staff recruitment during the period 1 May 2004 to 31 October 2004 included:
	(a) 20 women
	(b) three black or Asian women (included in the figure at (a)) and no black or Asian men were recruited.

Overcrowded Housing (Children)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the number of children living in overcrowded housing in the UK.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates on the basis of the bedroom standard used in the Survey of English Housing, that there were 770,000 children under 16 living in overcrowded households in England in 200304. That figure represented 8 per cent. of all children.

Police Authority Budgets

Phil Sawford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to cap police authority budgets for 200506; and what criteria will be used.

Nick Raynsford: No decisions on capping in 200506 and beyond have been made. But the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made it clear that we expect to see significantly lower council tax increases next year and will take even tougher capping action in 200506 if that proves necessary. This applies to all authorities, including police and fire authorities.

PPG3

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will announce his conclusions on his Consultation Paper of July 2003 on a Proposed Change to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, Housing.

Keith Hill: The intention is to publish the proposed changes to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing by the end of the year.

PPG3

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to publish a revised version of Planning Policy Guidance 3; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consulted on proposed updates to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing (PPG3) last year entitled 'Influencing the Size, Type and Affordability of Housing', and 'Supporting the Delivery of New Housing'. We are considering responses to the consultation exercises undertaken last year and intend to publish the updates to PPG3 by the end of this year. Any further revisions to PPG3 to take account of the recommendations of the Barker review of housing supply will be completed in 2005.

Private Finance Initiatives

George Osborne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the private finance initiative arrangements in which the Department is engaged; what the total cost of each arrangement is (a) over its lifetime and (b) in each year of its operation; and how the arrangement appears in the Department's public accounts.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the private finance initiative arrangements in which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is engaged. The information sought on the cost of each arrangement is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All private finance initiative arrangements in which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is engaged in are procured by and through local authorities or its agencies and do not therefore appear on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's resource accounting.
	
		The Office of the Deputy Prime MinisterList of private finance initiative arrangements
		
			 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Signed Operational 
		
		
			 LB Islington: Depot/VehiclesLON Yes Yes 
			 LB Lambeth: Depot/VehiclesLON Yes Yes 
			
			 Fire Service   
			 Avon, Somerset and Gloucester: Fire Training FacilitySW Yes Yes 
			 Cornwall CC: Fire StationsSW Yes Yes 
			 Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority: Stretford Divisional Headquarters and Fire StationNW Yes Yes 
			 Lancashire CC: Fire StationsNW Yes Yes 
			 London Fire Authority (GLA): Fire Vehicles and EquipmentLON Yes Yes 
			 North Yorkshire CC: Fire Training Facility and Fire StationYH Yes Yes 
			 Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority: Fire Stations and other facilitiesNE Yes  
			 South Wales Fire Authority: Training Centre for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Yes  
			
			 Housing   
			 Derby City Council: Social Housing EM Yes Yes 
			 LB Islington: HRA PathfinderMainly Victorian Street PropertiesLON Yes Yes 
			 Manchester City Council: HRA Pathfinder, Plymouth Grove/Stockport Road EstateNW Yes Yes 
			 North East Derbyshire DC: Social HousingEM Yes Yes 
			 Oldham MBC: Sheltered HousingNW   
			 Reading DC: HRA Pathfinder, North WhitleySE Yes Yes 
			 Selby DC: 250 New HomesYH Yes Yes 
			 Warrington BC: Anson and Blenheim Close (Non HRA)NW Yes  
			
			 Information and Communication Technology   
			 Cambridge CC: Cambridge Community NetworkE Yes Yes 
			 LB Croydon: Delivering Customer FocusLON Yes Yes 
			 Derby City Council: Revenues and BenefitsEM Yes Yes 
			 LB Harrow: Revenues and Benefits LON Yes Yes 
			 Kent CC: Strategic ITSE Yes Yes 
			 Norwich City Council: Connect Electronic NetworkE Yes Yes 
			
			 Leisure   
			 Sefton MBC: Crosby Leisure Centre NW Yes Yes 
			 Uttlesford DC: Three New Sports and Leisure CentresE Yes Yes 
			
			 Property and Regeneration   
			 Bournemouth BC: LibrarySW Yes Yes 
			 Brighton DC: LibrarySE Yes  
			 Copeland BC: Office Rationalisation NW Yes  
			 LB Hackney: Technology Learning CentreLON Yes Yes 
			 Norfolk CC: Salt BarnsE Yes Yes 
			 North Wiltshire DC: Property RationalisationSW Yes Yes 
			 Redcar and Cleveland BC: Office AccommodationNE Yes Yes 
			 Sheffield City Council: Heart of the City OfficesYH Yes Yes 
			 Trafford MBC: Sale New Civic Centre Office AccommodationNW Yes Yes 
			
			 Department for Education and Skills/ Office of the Deputy Prime Minister   
			
			 Joint schools and community facilities   
			 LB Barking and Dagenham: Joint Service CentreLON Yes  
			 Bolton MBC: Primary School, Library and Community FacilitiesNW Yes Yes 
			 Brighton and Hove City Council: 4 Secondary Schools plus Community LibrarySE Yes Yes 
			 Cheshire CC: Ellesmere Port and Neston Schools and Community Facilities NW Yes Yes 
			 Essex CC: Clacton Joint Service CentreE Yes Yes 
			 Liverpool MDC: Speke/Garston Forward Learning CentreNW Yes Yes 
			 Sunderland City Council: Secondary School and Community FacilitiesNE Yes Yes 
			 LB Tower Hamlets: Mulberry School, Secondary School and Sports Hall LON Yes Yes 
			
			 Department of Health/Office of the Deputy Prime Minister   
			 Joint Housing and social services   
			 LB Hammersmith and Fulham: Care and Housing for Older PeopleLON Yes Yes 
			
			 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (Executive Agency)   
			 Executive Agencies   
			 QEII Conference Centre: Catering Services Yes Yes

Referendums

John Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) focus groups, (b) opinion polling and (c) local government sources he consulted before going ahead with a referendum in the North East on a directly elected regional assembly.

Nick Raynsford: The decision to proceed with the North East referendum was made in July, when Orders were laid before Parliament. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Worthing West on 7 September 2004, Official Report, column 1167W.

Referendums

John Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has made to address the differentiated application of the powers of honourable Members in the constituent parts of the United Kingdom since the decision was taken not to take forward further referendums for regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: None.

Regional Assembly Referendums

John Gummer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) focus groups, (b) opinion polling and (c) local government sources he consulted before aborting the referenda in (i) the North West and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber on directly elected regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: The reasons for the Government's decision not to proceed with the referendums in the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber were set out in the statement my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister made on 8 November, Official Report, columns 587606W.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Hugo Swire: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what redundancy package will be offered to control staff who lose their jobs as a result of the relocation of fire brigades to a regional control centre.

Nick Raynsford: There is no plan to relocate fire brigades, only to rationalise control services at a regional level. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recognises that this will have implications for existing fire control staff. However, the skills of these staff are generally transferable, so there will be a premium on ensuring both that people who are not going to find jobs under the new arrangements are helped to relocate and secure other jobs and that the service will continue to operate in the most effective way. If staff were to lose their jobs, the redundancy package would be a matter for negotiation between staff representatives and the employers. At a minimum such staff would be eligible for the statutory redundancy payment, as dictated by their length of service with the fire and rescue service.

Right to Buy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average purchase price of a right to buy (a) flat and (b) house in England was in (i) 1997 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available.

Keith Hill: Average right-to-buy selling price figures (net of discount) for England are tabled as follows. The higher average price for flats in 200304 results from the sale of large numbers of relatively expensive flats in London, whereas the average house price is lowered by sales of cheaper houses in the north and midlands.
	
		000
		
			  199798 200304 
		
		
			 (a) Flat 17.7 57.3 
			 (b) House 22.2 39.3 
			 All dwellings 21.5 43.5

Right to Buy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average discount applied to a right to buy (a) flat and (b) house in England was in (i) 1997 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available.

Keith Hill: Average right-to-buy discount figures for England are tabled as follows:
	
		000
		
			  199798 200304 
		
		
			 (a) Flat 26.5 32.9 
			 (b) House 20.5 22.5 
			 All dwellings 21.4 25.0

NORTHERN IRELAND

Ambulance Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on ambulance services in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information in respect of the expenditure on ambulance services in the Province in each of the last five years is detailed in the table.
	
		Expenditure on ambulance services from 19992000 to 200304
		
			  000 
		
		
			 19992000 22,707 
			 200001 23,978 
			 200102 26,532 
			 200203 28,763 
			 200304 32,653 
		
	
	These figures represent the operating expenses of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service HSS Trust for each of the last five years.

Area Plans

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his assessment is of progress with each of Northern Ireland's area plans; and what steps are being taken to ensure that the timetables for the plans are being adhered to.

Angela Smith: For some time, the Department of the Environment's (NI) Planning Service has had an ambitious programme to update the current Area Plan coverage. Good progress has been made to implement this challenging programme: in the past two years the Planning Service has published two adopted plans and two draft Plans, and it is scheduled to publish the Draft Belfast Metropolitan Plan 2015 later in November 2004. Collectively this covers 11 of the 26 council areas in Northern Ireland. Draft plans for a further 12 council areas are under preparation.
	In recent months, however, the Planning Service has been forced to review the rapidly increasing, and unprecedented, workload pressures being faced by the Planning Service. After very careful consideration, it has been decided to concentrate as many resources as possible for a period of time on dealing with operational mattersi.e. planning applications. This reallocation of resources will have some short-term implications for the Area Plan programme. Despite this, every effort is being made to ensure that any delay is kept to a minimum.

ASSIs

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which proposed Area of Special Scientific Interest sites have yet to be declared in order to complete the ASSI programme.

Angela Smith: There are currently 212 Areas of Special Scientific Interest [ASSI] in Northern Ireland covering over 92,000 hectares.
	An additional 15 sites are currently proposed, having been endorsed by the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside, the Department of the Environment's statutory adviser in such matters.
	They are:
	
		
			 Site name Nearest town County 
		
		
			 Ballymacombs More Bellaghy Londonderry 
			 Ballypalady Templepatrick Antrim 
			 Banagher Enniskillen Fermanagh 
			 Edenaclogh Wood Kesh Fermanagh 
			 Errigal Glen Garvagh Londonderry 
			 Feystown Glenarm Antrim 
			 Lemnalary Carnlough Antrim 
			 Lenaghan Wood Derrygonnelly Fermanagh 
			 Lough Aleater Garrison Fermanagh 
			 Lough Corry Rosslea Fermanagh 
			 Lough Scolban Beleek Fermanagh 
			 Lurgan River Wood Belcoo Fermanagh 
			 Murrins Omagh Tyrone 
			 Rehaghy Wood Aughnacloy Tyrone 
			 Shimna River Newcastle Down 
		
	
	These sites will cover less than 1,000 hectares. Even when they have been declared, the ASSI programme will still be far from complete.
	A forward programme for the declaration of ASSIs was published in March 2003. The programme is a framework for completing the main phase of ASSI declarations by 2015. It is predicted that an additional 40,000 hectares of land will be found to merit ASSI status.
	Although the general location of many more potential ASSIs is known, their description and exact definition requires further survey, assessment and mapping.

At-risk Children

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety with (a) other Government departments and (b) NHS trusts in Northern Ireland to develop an information-sharing database between professional agencies on children who are at risk or in need; and what plans he has to bring forward legislation paralleling the provisions in the Children Bill [Lords] to facilitate information sharing.

Angela Smith: The creation of a database for sharing information on children who are at risk or in need will be considered by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety as a part of work on a forthcoming Strategy for Children and Young People in Need.
	This strategy will be developed in conjunction with representatives of the HPSS and other stakeholders including other Departments. Dependent on the outcomes of the strategy, the Department will consider enacting legislation allowing it to take powers similar to those proposed in the Children Bill.
	The Children Bill provisions for facilitating information sharing build on structures which do not exist in Northern Ireland. Obviously, any cross-cutting database will require close co-operation between the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and other Government Departments.

Chemotherapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on chemotherapy drugs in the Province in each of the last five years; and what the proposed spending is in the next 12 months.

Angela Smith: Approximately 6.3 million was spent on chemotherapy drugs in 200203 and approximately 7.9 million in 200304. Approximately 13.8 million of chemotherapy drugs demand is currently anticipated for 200405.
	Further information is not available

Community Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many community care packages have been provided in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The number of community care packages in effect in each of the last 10 years is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of community care packages in effect 
		
		
			 2004 19,015 
			 2003 19,003 
			 2002 17,359 
			 2001 16,587 
			 2000 15,485 
			 1999 14,756 
			 1998 13,942 
			 1997 13,491 
			 1996 12,180 
			 1995 9,385 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures show a snapshot at 31 March for each year, and refer to care managed packages. Data for 2004 is provisional and may be subject to change.

Community Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what change in the number of community care packages required in the Province he expects in the next decade.

Angela Smith: On the basis of current trends, it is estimated that the need for community care packages would grow by approximately 5,000 to 24,000 over the next decade.

Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions have taken place with Belfast International Airport on the impact on its business of the proximity of asbestos storage and destruction at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin.

Angela Smith: The Belfast International Airport was consulted in relation to the asbestos storage application and was content with the proposal.

Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what authority and regulatory provision, railway carriages containing blue asbestos were crushed and buried at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin by Eastwood Environment Waste Company.

Angela Smith: Approval for the repositioning and burial of 18 railway carriages at Crosshill Quarry, was given to Eastwood Limited by the then waste disposal regulator, Antrim borough council. The council was the regulating authority under the Pollution Control and Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 for Waste Disposal Licences. Eastwood Limited held a Waste Disposal Licence for the deposit of controlled waste at Crosshill Quarry.
	A Method Statement was prepared by the company and the carriages were relocated and encapsulated in clay to the satisfaction of the council and the Health and Safety Executive. Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) was consulted about the relocation proposals and was also content.
	The Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 came into operation on 19 December 2003 and the regulatory powers for waste licensing were transferred from the district councils to the EHS.
	Under the transitional arrangements a Waste Disposal Licence is deemed to be a Waste Management Licence and this would apply to the licence for Crosshill Quarry.
	The 18 carriages were repositioned within the Crosshill Quarry site immediately before EHS became the regulator under these provisions.

Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what environmental impact assessment has been made of (a) the storage and (b) the destruction of asbestos at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin in the last five years.

Angela Smith: (a) The consideration of the need for a formal environmental impact assessment is triggered by a planning application. In this case the storage application fell outside the regulations and no formal determination was necessary. Environmental issues were dealt with through the normal expert consultees who were content with the proposal. No destruction of asbestos has occurred on site.
	(b) A Method Statement was prepared by Eastwood Limited for the repositioning of 18 railway carriages within their licensed facility at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin. The carriages were relocated and encapsulated in clay to the satisfaction of the council and the Health and Safety Executive. This work was undertaken in the latter part of 2003. The Environment and Heritage Service is not aware of any destruction of asbestos having taken place at the Crosshill Quarry site.

Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what tourism impact assessment has been made of the effect of the storage and destruction of asbestos at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin on the local area.

Angela Smith: The tourism authority was not consulted on the matter. The expert consultees consulted on the asbestos storage planning application are satisfied that there are no environmental effects that cannot be satisfactorily mitigated.

District Councils

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) the total cost and (b) cost per elector of the 26 district councils in the provinces was in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The total cost, expressed in terms of net expenditure, and cost per elector for the last three years of each of the 26 district councils, is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  200102 
			 District council Number of electors Net expenditure  Cost per elector  
		
		
			 Antrim 33,025 8,332,999 252.32 
			 Ards 54,708 10,503,734 192.00 
			 Armagh 39,567 9,244,560 233.64 
			 Ballymena 44,466 9,605,185 216.01 
			 Ballymoney 19,755 3,952,736 200.09 
			 Banbridge 30,604 6,459,239 211.06 
			 Belfast 185,922 67,872,998 365.06 
			 Carrickfergus 27,307 6,839,948 250.48 
			 Castlereagh 48,714 8,605,620 176.66 
			 Coleraine 39,216 9,111,853 232.35 
			 Cookstown 23,531 4,631,867 196.84 
			 Craigavon 57,388 13,440,755 234.21 
			 Derry 71,252 19,407,404 272.38 
			 Down 45,616 10,478,325 229.71 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 35,617 6,055,611 170.02 
			 Fermanagh 42,698 7,341,967 171.95 
			 Larne 22,972 5,228,747 227.61 
			 Limavady 21,705 5,297,986 244.09 
			 Lisburn 75,757 15,576,155 205.61 
			 Magherafelt 28,490 5,251,743 184.34 
			 Moyle 11,414 3,360,189 294.39 
			 Newry and Mourne 62,913 18,076,375 287.32 
			 Newtownabbey 58,339 15,009,428 257.28 
			 North Down 56,381 12,643,357 224.25 
			 Omagh 33,689 7,485,365 222.19 
			 Strabane 27,458 5,891,894 214.58 
			 Total 1,198,504 295,706,040 246.73 
		
	
	
		
			  200203 
			 District council Number of electors Net expenditure  Cost per elector  
		
		
			 Antrim 28,661 8,839,064 308.40 
			 Ards 49,507 11,945,691 241.29 
			 Armagh 36,657 10,056,670 274.35 
			 Ballymena 40,789 10,802,858 264.85 
			 Ballymoney 18,510 4,213,120 227.61 
			 Banbridge 28,447 7,232,425 254.24 
			 Belfast 155,882 75,545,590 484.63 
			 Carrickfergus 24,286 6,834,342 281.41 
			 Castlereagh 43,377 10,193,848 235.01 
			 Coleraine 35,497 9,469,727 266.78 
			 Cookstown 22,051 4,857,416 220.28 
			 Craigavon 52,796 14,661,737 277.71 
			 Derry 62,801 19,564,474 311.53 
			 Down 41,607 11,200,924 269.21 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 32,867 6,741,314 205.11 
			 Fermanagh 39,833 8,175,620 205.25 
			 Larne 20,547 5,294,445 257.67 
			 Limavady 19,969 4,836,395 242.20 
			 Lisburn 66,759 16,980,608 254.36 
			 Magherafelt 27,069 5,577,995 206.07 
			 Moyle 10,429 3,195,234 306.38 
			 Newry and Mourne 56,185 16,939,179 301.49 
			 Newtownabbey 51,378 15,525,813 302.19 
			 North Down 50,014 13,576,124 271.45 
			 Omagh 31,399 7,859,541 250.31 
			 Strabane 25,108 6,222,951 247.85 
			 Total 1,072,425 316,343,105 294.98 
		
	
	
		
			  200304 
			 District council Number of electors Net expenditure  Cost per elector  
		
		
			 Antrim 29,149 9,431,111 323.55 
			 Ards 48,977 12,877,397 262.93 
			 Armagh 36,849 10,588,776 287.36 
			 Ballymena 40,774 10,063,412 246.81 
			 Ballymoney 18,604 4,457,450 239.60 
			 Banbridge 28,707 7,307,126 254.54 
			 Belfast 154,179 80,615,320 522.87 
			 Carrickfergus 24,483 7,438,357 303.82 
			 Castlereagh 42,685 10,155,518 237.92 
			 Coleraine 35,166 9,965,780 283.39 
			 Cookstown 21,960 5,743,746 261.55 
			 Craigavon 52,846 16,141,665 305.45 
			 Derry 62,404 21,669,100 347.24 
			 Down 41,668 11,707,205 280.96 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 32,754 7,550,774 230.53 
			 Fermanagh 39,986 8,416,926 210.50 
			 Larne 20,410 5,910,097 289.57 
			 Limavady 20,094 6,096,731 303.41 
			 Lisburn 65,855 18,685,254 283.73 
			 Magherafelt 27,243 5,830,867 214.03 
			 Moyle 10,564 3,221,441 304.95 
			 Newry and Mourne 56,634 17,340,593 306.19 
			 Newtownabbey 51,511 16,815,096 326.44 
			 North Down 49,698 14,439,672 290.55 
			 Omagh 30,993 8,923,604 287.92 
			 Strabane 24,967 6,786,465 271.82 
			 Total 1,069,160 338,179,483 316.30

Domestic Rates

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how domestic rates in Northern Ireland are calculated; and what this revenue is used for.

Ian Pearson: The rate bill for individual domestic properties is calculated by multiplying the property's Net Annual Value (NAV) by the overall domestic poundage, which encompasses two elements. These are the Regional Rate poundage, which is uniform across Northern Ireland, and the District Rate poundage, which is dependant upon the district council that the property is located in.
	Regional Rate revenue is not allocated to specific areas of expenditure, but instead contributes to the overall amount of money available to the Secretary of State to allocate to regional public services in Northern Ireland. Regional Rate revenue accounts for around 6 per cent. of total planned spend on public services.
	The level of District Domestic Rates is determined by each of the 26 district councils, with all revenue generated being used by the relevant council.

Education Initiatives

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to provide help to parents in (a) Greater Shankhill and (b) north Belfast to return to full-time education.

Barry Gardiner: The Department for Employment and Learning has a number of measures in place to help parents in Greater Shankill and north Belfast to return to full-time education including:
	the Spring vale Community Outreach Initiative, which aims to improve educational standards in these areas;
	the Essential Skills for Living strategy, in which parents are included as a priority group;
	a number of Peace II projects, specifically targeted at family learning, to improve levels of Essential Skills;
	a marked expansion in higher education provision, with a significant growth in HE provision delivered in the further education sector, to widen access for mature students; and
	a wide range of support for students entering higher education, including allowances, bursaries, loans and grants and non repayable support grants for students in specific circumstances.
	Additionally, Belfast Institute, East Antrim Institute and the Workers' Educational Association offer a wide range of family learning provision, including Essential Skills, in the north Belfast and Greater Shankill areas. Plans are also in place to establish a Family Literacy and Numeracy Innovation Fund to further promote family-based adult Essential Skills learning.

Family Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on family health services in the Province in the last year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The total spent on family health services in the 200304 financial year was 563,740,000.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are awaiting (a) initial outpatient assessment and (b) treatment for sub-fertility in the Province.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent changes in waiting lists for those seeking sub-fertility treatment in the Province.

Angela Smith: The interim fertility service in Northern Ireland started in December 2001, at the Regional Fertility Centre, Royal Group of Hospitals. Access to publicly funded fertility services is regulated by eligibility criteria and these criteria have been in operation from this date. There are currently 201 patients waiting for treatment on the NHS waiting list. A patient referred to this waiting list in November 2004, could expect to wait between 18 and 24 months for treatment. The publicly funded waiting list continues to accept people for treatment in line with the referral date from their GP. There have been no significant recent changes to the NHS waiting list for fertility treatment.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to announce proposals for the further development of fertility services in the Province.

Angela Smith: To inform decisions on the longer-term provision of fertility services in Northern Ireland I issued the document From People to Parents for public consultation in October 2003. The consultation process has now closed and officials are preparing options for my consideration.
	Any enhancement to fertility services will have to be considered within the resource limits set out in the draft Priorities and Budget document issued for consultation on 12 October 2004. Consultation on this draft Budget ends on 7 December and I hope to be in a position to announce my proposals for the future development of fertility services in Northern Ireland when the revised Budget is finalised.

Fire Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on fire services in each of the last five years in the Province.

Angela Smith: The information in respect of expenditure on fire services in Northern Ireland in relation to each of the previous five years is detailed in the table.
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 19992000 49,616 
			 200001 51,307 
			 200102 52,275 
			 200203 59,346 
			 200304 60,673 
		
	
	From 200102 onwards the figures are derived from the relevant Resource Accounts, prepared on an accruals basis. Prior to this the figures are taken from the former cash-based Appropriation Accounts, and these are therefore not directly comparable.

Firearms (Retired Police)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to remove the requirement for retired prison officers to carry a firearms certificate and replace it with an authorisation card.

Ian Pearson: It is a fundamental requirement of the firearms legislation that, save for a number of specified exemptions, all firearms must be held on firearm certificates. I have no plans to change that.

Firearms (Retired Police)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retired police officers in Northern Ireland have been issued with a firearms authorisation card.

Ian Pearson: There is no legislative provision for a firearms authorisation card. Retired police officers wishing to hold firearms must do so on the authority of a firearm certificate.

Firearms (Retired Police)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many retired police officers in Northern Ireland have been issued with a firearms certificate.

Ian Pearson: The PSNI firearms licensing computer system is not programmed to provide this information in the format requested and it can only be provided manually at disproportionate cost.

Firearms (Retired Police)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reason (a) retired prison officers are required to carry a firearms certificate and (b) retired police officers carry an authorisation card.

Ian Pearson: No distinction is made between a retired prison officer and a retired police officer in respect of the holding of firearms. Both are required to have a firearm certificate.

Fruit-growing Land

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the overall area of (a) apple orchards and (b) other fruit-growing land was in the Province (i) in 1974, (ii) in 1984, (iii) in 1994 and (iv) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: Information on the area of land devoted to commercial fruit growing in Northern Ireland is collected each year as part of the Agricultural and Horticultural Census conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
	The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			   hectares 
			  Area of apple orchards Area of other fruit growing land 
		
		
			 1974 2,515 97 
			 1984 2,064 91 
			 1994 1,701 72 
			 2003 1,545 57 
		
	
	2003 is the most recent year for which data is available.

GP Contract

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effects on morale of general practitioners in the Province of the implementation of the new General Medical Services contract.

Angela Smith: No assessment has been made of the effects on morale of general practitioners in Northern Ireland following the implementation of the new General Medical Services contract. It is, of course, part of the aims of the new contract to boost the morale of the profession and to make general practice a more attractive career option for qualifying doctors by, for example, offering GPs improved remuneration prospects, a better work/life balance through the ability to opt out of providing out-of-hours care, and, through the Quality and Outcomes Framework, financial rewards for meeting clinical and other specified quality standards. Implementation of the new contract is being supported in Northern Ireland by the investment of new monies in excess of 44 million over 3 years. The contract has, however, only been in operation a matter of months and it may take a longer period before the benefits it offers GPs are fully realised.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Angela Smith: Since May 1997, there have been two Northern Ireland Office 'Green' Ministers.

Inquiry (Child Deaths)

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that the families of the children whose deaths are the subject of Mr. John O'Hara QC's independent inquiry have access to independent legal representation; and what the (a) terms of reference and (b) scope of the inquiry are.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I have given today to the hon. Member for Strangford (Mrs. Robinson).

Lucy Crawford

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether medical expertise for the inquiry into the death in April 2000 of Lucy Crawford will be sought from (a) outside Northern Ireland and (b) from doctors within the Province;
	(2)  whether the proceedings of the inquiry into the death in April 2000 of Lucy Crawford will be conducted in public;
	(3)  whether the inquiry into the death in April 2000 of Lucy Crawford will have the power to compel witnesses, with particular reference to doctors, to provide evidence; when he expects the inquiry will commence; and whether the actions of the (a) Sperrin Lakeland Trust and (b) Department of Health Social Services and Personal Safety in response to the death of Lucy Crawford will be investigated by the inquiry.

Angela Smith: Officials are currently finalising the detailed arrangements for the conduct of the inquiry with Mr. John O'Hara QC and I hope to make an announcement shortly. These arrangements will take account of Cabinet Office guidance on inquiries and a copy of the Terms of Reference will be placed in the House Library.

Mediboxes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 239W, on GP prescribing, whether Mediboxes have been available in Northern Ireland through the NHS.

Angela Smith: Mediboxes have never been available on health service prescription.

MRSA

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of new drugs to combat MRSA.

Angela Smith: There are no new drugs licensed to combat MRSA. Licenses for use indicate a drug's range and spectrum not specific diseases or ailments. Clinicians assisted by Trust guidelines and aided by local laboratory appraisals of efficacy make assessments as to the effectiveness of particular licensed drugs.

Museums

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the publicly funded museums in Northern Ireland; how many visitors there were to each in the last year for which figures are available; and what the net cost of each facility was in 200304.

Angela Smith: Publicly funded Museums in Northern Ireland may receive funding from Northern Ireland Government Departments, District Councils, NIO, and the Ministry of Defence and, in some cases, a combination of sources. The following table lists museums in Northern Ireland which received public funding towards their operating costs in 200304, the most recent annual visitor numbers available, and the net cost of each in 200304.
	
		
			 Museum Net Cost (total operating costs less self generated income) 200304 (000) Visitor Numbers 200304 Calendar (c) or Financial (f) Year Comments 
		
		
			 Andrew Jackson and US Rangers Centre 35.3 971 7 months Open April to October. 
			 Bally castle Museum 16.9 2,400 2 months Open July to August. 
			 Ballymena Museum 120.8 11,793 f  
			 Ballymoney Museum 45 2, 982 c  
			 Barn Museum 2 7,419 c  
			 Down County Museum 753 44,653 c  
			 Downpatrick Railway Museum 12.2 5,512 Open 4 months in year Open June to September. The net annual cost shown relates to 200203 as the figures for 200304 are not available. 
			 Fermanagh County Museum 260.9 19,246 f  
			 FlameThe Gasworks Museum of Ireland 15.4 756 Open 7 months in year Closed November to March. 
			 Foyle Valley Railway Museum 68.8 0 Closed to public  
			 Garvagh Museum Ltd 1 972 f  
			 Gray Printers Museum 55.3 3,484 c  
			 Green Lane Museum 6.9 7,500 Open 32 days Open weekends in May, June and September and 7 days in July and August 
			 Harbour Museum 272.4 11,000 c  
			 Heritage Building 149.2 205 c  
			 Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum 608.2 44,630 c The costs and visitor numbers provided by Lisburn BC relate to the overall footfall to the facility including shop and cafe with total visitor numbers of 302,536 in 200304 of which 44,630 visited the Museum. 
			 Larne Museum 67 0 Closed to public Closed for refurbishment 
			 Newry and Mourne Museum 75 10,000 c  
			 North Down Heritage Centre 303 50,725 c  
			 MAGNI (incorporating the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, the Ulster American Folk Park and Armagh County Museum) 11,686 523,951 f  
			 Pogues Entry [Childhood home - Alexander Irvine] n/a 700 Open 4 months in year Open June to September. The total operating costs for Pogues Entry only available from the Museum itself which is currently closed for the off-season. 
			 Ministry of Defence 249   Regimental Museums funded by Ministry of Defence. Due to the set up of their budget it is not possible to split down the cots for the individual museums. 
			 Royal Iniskilling Fusiliers  19,094 c  
			 Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum  4,521 c  
			 Royal Irish Regimental Museum  15,000   
			 Royal Ulster Rifles Museum  12,000 c  
			 Somme Heritage Centre 30.3 19,474 f  
			 Tower Museum 318.1 21,851 c  
		
	
	Notes:
	The museums listed are those museums that have received public funding towards their operating costs in the financial year 200304.
	Where it has proved impossible to obtain the relevant information to date this has been shown on the table as n/a (not available).

Neurosurgery

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what intensive rehabilitation facilities are available in the Province for patients following neurosurgery.

Angela Smith: Various levels of rehabilitation are provided for patients following neurosurgery, depending on their individual needs. These include initial in-patient rehabilitation until medically fit for discharge; specialist in-patient rehabilitation facilities; hospital out-patient services, and specialist community teams, which have links with voluntary sector organisations providing vocational rehabilitation.
	A regional acquired brain injury rehabilitation unit, with 25 beds, is due to open at Musgrave Park Hospital in 2006.

Neurosurgery

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on neurosurgery provision for children in the Province.

Angela Smith: All paediatric neurosurgery is carried out at the Royal Group of Hospitals. There are two neurosurgeons with an interest in paediatric surgery and the hospital runs four clinics per month. The current waiting time for an outpatient appointment is four weeks. Children requiring inpatient treatment are generally treated as urgent cases and therefore experience little or no waiting time.

Night Flights

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many breaches of the late night flight curfew at Belfast City Airport there have been in each of the past five years; and which airlines were involved in each case.

Angela Smith: The total number of delayed late night flights after 21.30 hours during each of the last five years, is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 350 
			 2000 334 
			 2001 340 
			 2002 520 
			 2003 648 
		
	
	The current Planning Agreement is between the Department of the Environment and Belfast City Airport, not individual airlines. Consequently, my Department does not hold information on individual airlines delayed and late night flights.

Night Flights

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what enforcement action has been taken against (a) airlines and (b) the operators of Belfast City Airport for breaches of the late-night flight curfew (i) in each of the last four years and (ii) to date in 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: No enforcement action has been taken in relation to flights which have been delayed after 21.30 hours. However, officials have been working with the airport operators to reduce the number of flight movements after 21.30, as part of an agreed Action Plan. The target is to achieve a 10 per cent. reduction in the total number of flights operating after 21.30, including a 90 per cent. reduction in flights after 23.00.
	To date, during 2004, there is an overall 15 per cent. reduction in the number of flights operating after 21.30 during the extended hours period, when compared to 2003. During 2004, one late flight occurred after midnight.
	This is a significant reduction, against the background that the total number of late flights (648) during 2003 represents less than 2 per cent. of the total air traffic movements.

Parades

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the total policing cost of parades was from 1 April to 14 August; and what the figure was for the same period last year.

Ian Pearson: Further to my earlier reply, I am now in a position to provide the information you requested. The policing cost for the period in question for 2004 was 5,552,544, compared with 5,217,215 for the previous year.

Rivers Agency

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the religious composition is of the technical staff in the Western Regional Office of the Rivers Agency.

Ian Pearson: The confidentiality of monitoring information and the categories of statistical analyses, which are published, is governed by statutory requirements and a Code of Practice agreed with the trade unions. In addition, under fair employment legislation, NICS is treated as a single entity for the purposes of monitoring. Equality of opportunity and fair participation is assessed by examining the compositional profile of the NICS at occupational groups and grade levels. It is information at this level, not the composition of particular offices or locations, which is used to inform the development of policies, practices and procedures which promote equality of opportunity and fair participation across the NICS as a whole.
	I am sorry that my response cannot be more forthcoming, but I hope you will appreciate that we have to have proper regard to statutory requirements and the Code of Practice agreed with Trade Unions.

Rivers Agency

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many internal transfers have taken place in the Western Regional Area of the Rivers Agency involving (a) industrial staff and (b) technical staff in each year since 2000.

Ian Pearson: The number of internal transfers in the Western Region of the Rivers Agency is as follows:
	
		
			  Industrial staff Professional and technical staff 
		
		
			 2000 1 1 
			 2001 0 3 
			 2002 4 1 
			 2003 1 0 
			 2004 1 0

Students

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland are taking courses (a) at Northern Ireland universities and (b) at universities outside Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: (a) In 200203, 44,137 NI domiciled students were enrolled at the four locally established NI higher education institutions and 3,481 were enrolled at the Open University.
	(b) In 200203, 15,260 NI domiciled students were enrolled at higher education institutions in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.
	The Department for Employment and Learning does not hold information on students enrolled at higher education institutions outside the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.
	The Department publishes annual statistical bulletins on higher education enrolments which are available to download from: http://www.delni.gov.uk/index.cfm/area/information/page/SRHEEnrolments

Sure Start

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will ensure that a multi-agency approach in service delivery is central to the proposed new Sure Start model.

Angela Smith: Sure Start promotes and adopts a partnership approach to providing co-ordinated services for families with young children. The programme is both designed and delivered at a local level through a network of local statutory agencies and community-based voluntary organisations working in the fields of health, early education and family/parenting support. Thus, in each local area, different programmes are set up according to the range of existing services and the particular needs of the community.

Tyrone County Hospital

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on acute services provision at Tyrone County Hospital.

Angela Smith: Developing Better Services and the Western Board's subsequent strategic context document Planning for Change detail how the Tyrone County Hospital will evolve into a local hospital, in parallel with the development of the new South West Hospital in Enniskillen. The implementation of Developing Better Services will provide a network of fully integrated services across Northern Ireland and the new local hospital in Omagh will play a key role in that network of services. It will continue to provide some 70 per cent. of the services that people require in hospital settings, including a local assessment and treatment unit, diagnostics including X-ray and CT scanning, a mobile coronary care service, renal dialysis, in-patient beds for rehabilitation and palliative care, and a wide range of out-patient and day case surgery services, all in modern, state of the art facilities.
	During the transition to the new service model set out in Developing Better Services, I will do everything I can to ensure that standards are maintained and that no services are removed from Tyrone County Hospital until appropriate alternative provision has been put in place.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Services

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional investments have been made in accident and emergency services in North Staffordshire since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: During the period 19992001, the former North Staffordshire Hospital National Health Service Trustnow the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trustreceived the following amounts from the capital modernisation fund for accident and emergency.
	
		(000)
		
			 Wave of scheme Details of scheme Cost 
		
		
			 First wave To upgrade and modernise the A and E department 700 
			 Second wave To improve responsiveness, efficiency and quality of A and E services 150 
		
	
	The Trust has also received the following capital payments from the Department's accident and emergency incentive scheme.
	
		(000)
		
			 Period of incentive scheme  Qualification for payment Payment received 
		
		
			 March 2004 At least 94 per cent, of all patients spending under four hours in A and E during March 2004 100 
			 First quarter 200405 At least 95 per cent, of all patients spending under four hours in A and E during first quarter of 200405 100

Alzheimer's

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to make anti-dementia drugs freely available on the NHS for all Alzheimer's disease sufferers; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In 2000, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended to the national health service that the three drugs: donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine should be made available in the NHS as one part of the management of some people with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease. Not all people taking one of these drugs will benefit from them. For those who do not show improvement, or a slowing down of the disease in the first few months, it is unlikely that they would show any benefit later on.
	NICE is currently reviewing the original appraisal and recommendations, including looking at whether a fourth drug, memantine, should also be made generally available.

Alzheimer's

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease under the age of 65.

Stephen Ladyman: The Alzheimer's Society estimate that around 750,000 people in the United Kingdom have dementia and more than half have Alzheimer's disease. They further estimate that around 18,500 people under the age of 65 have dementia.

Alzheimer's

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to include early onset Alzheimer's disease in the forthcoming Green Paper on Adult Social Care.

Stephen Ladyman: Our vision for adult social care is for services that are tailored to individual circumstances, enabling adults of all ages, whatever their circumstances, to live more fulfilled and independent lives.

Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial position of Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust.

Stephen Ladyman: The retained deficit reported by Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals National Health Service Trust in its annual accounts for the year ended March 2004 was 4,398,000.
	The trust is currently forecasting that it will break even in 200405.

Barnet Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses, (b) junior doctors, (c) registrars, (d) consultants and (e) managers were employed at Barnet hospital on (i) 1 May 1997 and (ii) the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): -- medical and dental consultants, and doctors in training within Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals National Health Service Trust(29)
		
			 Numbers (headcount) 
			 As at 30 September each year Total of all organisations RDC Wellhouse NHS Trust RG9 Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust RVL Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 
		
		
			 1997 
			 Consultant 130 73 57 (30) 
			 All doctors in Training 213 121 92 (30) 
			 of which 
			 Registrar group 65 36 29 (30) 
			 Qualified nurses 1,560 837 723 (30) 
			 Managers and senior managers 60 36 24 (30) 
			  
			 2003(30) 
			 Consultant 158 (30) (30) 158 
			 All Doctors in Training 252 (30) (30) 252 
			 of which 
			 Registrar Group 73 (30) (30) 73 
			 Qualified nurses 1,740 (30) (30) 1,740 
			 Managers and senior managers 94 (30) (30) 94 
		
	
	(29) In 1999 Wellhouse NHS Trust (RDC) merged with Chase Farm Hospital NHS Trust (RG9) to become Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust (RVL).
	(30) Not applicable.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Barnet Hospital

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Barnet had (a) elective surgery, (b) emergency surgery and (c) out-patient appointments in (i) 199697 and (ii) 200304; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Information requested for elective surgery and emergency surgery is shown in the table. Information on out-patient appointments is not collected centrally. 200304 figures are not yet available. 200203 figures are shown instead.
	
		Primary care trust (PCT) of residence: 5A9 Barnet PCTAll operations, count of finished admission episodesOperative procedure (OPCS-4 AGO-X59)National health service hospitals, England 199697 and 200203
		
			  Finished admission episodes 
			 Admission type 199697 200203 
		
		
			 Elective 16,080 21,499 
			 Emergency 3,750 4,391 
			 Babies 31 25 
			 Other 3,257 3,940 
		
	
	Finished admission episodes
	A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. All Operations count of Episodes
	These figures represent a count of all FCE's where the procedure was mentioned in any of the 12 (4 prior to 200203) operation fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if an operation is mentioned in more than one operation field of the record.
	Ungrossed Data
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health

Charnwood and North West Leicestershire PCT

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding Charnwood and North West Leicestershire Primary Care Trust has received in each year since 2001.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		000
		
			  Leicester health authority (HA) Charnwood and North West Leicestershire primary care trust (PCT) 
		
		
			 200001 570,686 n/a 
			 200102 615,919 n/a 
			 200203 682,748 n/a 
			 200304 n/a 183,850 
			 200405 n/a 200,628 
			 200506 n/a 218,365 
		
	
	Note:
	The Department has only made direct allocations to PCTs since 200304. Prior to this, allocations were made directly to HAs. Therefore allocations information from the relevant HA is also included.

Children's Hospices

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met interested groups in the Greater London area to discuss core funding for hospices for children; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I have not met with any groups in Greater London to discuss funding for hospices. I did however meet with representatives of the Association of Children's Hospices and the Association for Children with Life Threatening Illnesses on 21 July 2004.
	The principles governing sources of funding for children's hospice services are the same in Greater London as in any other part of the country. Primary care trusts (PCTs) may commission services according to their assessment of the needs of their child population and their priorities. It is for children's hospices to enter into a dialogue with their local PCT, or the lead commissioning PCT where a hospice serves a wide area, who may seek to place a child with them and so establish the level of demand for their services.
	The disabled child module of the children's national service framework (published on 15 September) acknowledges the importance of palliative care services for children and recommends that high quality palliative care services should be available for all children and young people who need them.

Dentistry

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated by his Department for the development of dentistry services provided by the national health service in England in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: In July, we announced that, over the period to 2010, an extra 368 million has been allocated to recruiting 1,000 more dentists, funding an extra 170 training places for undergraduates in dental schools and increasing the overall expenditure on primary care national health services by 19 per cent. from 1.33 billion in 200304 to 1.58 billion in 200506. In addition, for the current year, we have allocated a total of 59 million; comprising 35 million for grants to dentists to improve facilities to increase access to NHS dentistry, 15 million to primary care trusts (PCTs) for local access initiatives and 9 million for use by the NHS support team to target assistance to the 16 PCTs with some of the most pressing access problems.

Diagnostic Testing

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed days related to diagnostic testing there were in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: Data on the number of bed days relating to diagnostic testing is not collected centrally.

Dorset Hospitals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which departments in Dorset hospitals are unable to provide hospital staff to lift wheelchair-bound patients.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority advises that there are no departments in acute national health service trusts in Dorset that do not have staff available to lift an individual who uses a wheelchair.

Dorset Hospitals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available in accident and emergency departments in Dorset hospitals to lift wheelchair-bound patients.

Rosie Winterton: Requested information is not centrally collected. However, Dorset and Somerset Strategic Health Authority advises that all accident and emergency departments in Dorset have access to a full range of manual handling equipment to assist the moving and lifting of individual patients who use a wheelchair.

E111 Forms

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of British citizens in possession of E111 forms issued (a) before and (b) after August; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: About 1.5 million new E111s have been issued since August 2004. Precise numbers of old E111s still held by the public are not known but annual issue rates have been between three and four million in each of the last five years.

E111 Forms

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens who required medical treatment while on holiday in the EU in each year from 1997, broken down by those (a) in possession and (b) not in possession of an E111 form; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Mr. Taylor) on 1 September 2004, Official Report, columns 92627W. United Kingdom residents not in possession of Form E111 when treatment abroad is needed may apply for one from abroad. Numbers of such applications are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 19992000 5,447 
			 200001 5,302 
			 200102 5,675 
			 200203 6,932 
			 200304 7,137

Electronic Patient Records

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether IT contracts for the provision of electronic patient records in England and Wales will ensure integration with systems to be adopted in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland and (c) the EU under the e-Health initiative.

John Hutton: The National Health Service Care Records Service (NHS CRS) is the core component of the National Programme for IT in England (NPfIT). Through the United Kingdom Information Management and Technology Forum, and the NHS information standards board, NPfIT officials work closely with officials in the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Office to ensure common standards and interoperability of clinical information systems.
	The NHS CRS is being designed and developed in accordance with international and European Union-wide standards which have been adopted by the UK e-Government interoperability framework. NPfIT also works with European and international standards bodies to ensure interoperability subject to strict security and confidentiality safeguards. However, it is not currently envisaged that non-UK health providers will have direct access to the NHS CRS.

Emergency Readmissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions to NHS hospitals there were in each quarter since January 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Quarter Number re-admitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge (patients of all ages) Rate of people admitted as an emergency within 28 days of discharge (as a percentage of all discharges) 
		
		
			 200203 4 138,773 5.5 
			 
			 200304 1 135,153 5.6 
			  2 136,701 5.5 
			  3 143,187 5.7 
			  4 146,703 5.7 
			 
			 200405 1 148,714 5.9 
			  2 152,607 5.9

Epsom Hospital

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been admitted to accident and emergency at Epsom Hospital in each of the past 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Figures are not available at individual hospital level.
	Figures are collected quarterly and figures for accident and emergency attendances at Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals National Health Service Trust are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter First attendances Follow-up attendances Total attendances 
		
		
			 200304 3 30,716 2,036 32,752 
			 200304 4 29,778 2,255 32,033 
			 200405 1 33,164 1,164 34,328 
			 200405 2 32,408 1,369 33,777

Fair Trade

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy to ensure that hospitality within his Department is sourced from fair trade producers wherever possible within the boundaries set by the public procurement rules.

Rosie Winterton: I can confirm that it is the Department's policy to pursue through our catering company the use of Fairtrade goods wherever possible.

Foot Operations

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the standardisation of the monitoring of foot operations carried out by orthopaedic surgeons and podiatric surgeons;
	(2)  what plans he has to standardise the monitoring of foot operations carried out by orthopaedic surgeons and podiatric surgeons.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Miss Melanie Johnson) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, column 790W.

General Practitioner Contracts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether health checks, as proposed in the forthcoming Health White Paper, will be (a) enhanced and (b) additional services under the new general practitioner contract; and what payments he plans for the service.

Melanie Johnson: The Government published Choosing health, making healthy choices easier, its White Paper on public health, today. National health service patients already have the right to request a health check-up from their general practitioner if they have not been seen by their GP in the previous three years. People aged 75 or over can request a check-up if they have not been seen by their GP in the previous year.

General Practitioners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there are per head of population in England.

John Hutton: There are 63.8 general practitioners, excluding GP retainers, GP Registrars and locums, per 100,000 weighted population in England.

General Practitioners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average list size is of a general practitioner in England.

John Hutton: The average general practitioner list size in England, as at 30 September 2003, was 1,845.

General Practitioners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries have closed in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: This information is not collected centrally.
	In 2003, there were more than 8,800 general practitioner practices, some of which had one main surgery, while others may have one or more branch surgeries.
	Between July 2000 and September 2004, 734 GP premises have been replaced and 1,737 premises refurbished. The Government have embarked on one of the most sustained programmes of primary care modernisation in the history of the national health service and that work is on-going to ensure a primary care infrastructure that is fit for purpose and suitable for the twenty-first century.

General Practitioners

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available under the local investment finance trust scheme for improvements to general practitioner surgeries in West Sussex.

Rosie Winterton: No funding has been made available through the local improvement finance trust for improvements to general practitioner surgeries in West Sussex.

General Practitioners

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were per head of population in (a) Leicester South, (b) Leicester West Primary Care Trust area, (c) Leicester East Primary Care Trust area and (d) England on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		General medical practitioners (GMPs) excluding retainers, registrars and locums(31) for Leicester primary care trusts (PCTs)per 100,000 weighted population
		
			 As at June 2004 Numbers (headcount) 
			  GMPs (excluding retainers registrars and locums) Weighted population GMPs (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) per 100,000 weighted population 
		
		
			 South Leicestershire PCT 96 132,282 72.6 
			 Leicester City West PCT 89 133,156 66.8 
			 Eastern Leicester PCT 99 165,639 59.8 
			 England 31,215 48,962,969 63.8 
		
	
	(31) All practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) include general medical service (QMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors, PMS other and flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Sources:
	Department of Health CMS and PMS statistics.
	Department of Health populations adjusted for age and need using the GMS non-cash-limited component of the weighted capitation formula.

General Practitioners

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries there are in the Leicester South constituency.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Partnerships of unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs);(32) for Eastern Leicester and South Leicestershire primary care trusts (PCTs) as at 30 June 2004
		
			  Partnerships of UPEs 
		
		
			 Eastern Leicester PCT 33 
			 South Leicestershire PCT 20 
		
	
	(32) UPEs include general medical service (GMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted general practitioners and PMS salaried GPs.
	Source:
	Department of Health GMS and PMS statistics.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: Four.

Health Access Card

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of how the proposed EU health access card might be integrated with other proposed UK entitlement and identity cards.

John Hutton: The United Kingdom is required under European law to introduce the European health insurance card by 31 December 2005. Meeting our treaty obligations so as to ensure that UK citizens continue to receive the health care to which they are entitled when travelling in other European Economic Area countries is a top priority. At the same time, the Department is contributing to the Home Office-led identity cards programme, as well as considering the development of a national health service card, which could, 'support smart access to personal data and speed confirmation of access to appropriate care', as promised in the NHS Improvement Plan. The Department is considering how in the medium term this work programme can best be integrated, so as to maximise the benefits for patients and frontline services.

Health Centre (Birmingham)

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will direct Birmingham and Solihull Solutions to accelerate its acquisition of the Leyland Club on Alum Rock Road for the development of a new health centre.

John Hutton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, does not have the statutory power to intervene directly in this matter. Birmingham and Solihull Solutions (BASS) is a limited company and it is a matter for their shareholders, which include East Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT).
	East Birmingham PCT is a shareholder in BASS and has been working closely with Birmingham city council to establish ownership of the site in question, in order to facilitate its acquisition at the earliest possible opportunity.

Hospital Budgets

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of (a) the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (formerly the North Staffordshire Hospital), (b) North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare and (c) the Staffordshire Ambulance service has been in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: National health service trusts receive income for service provision from health authorities and primary care trusts. The figures shown in the table are the total income, including all income from activities and all other operating income, of each of the trusts.
	
		
			  University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust(33) North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 
		
		
			 199798 152,393 79,839 14,179 
			 199899 165,535 82,860 14,541 
			 19992000 186,236 89,042 15,545 
			 200001 193,823 93,214 16,561 
			 200102 212,576 101,827 18,093 
			 200203 235,801 77,976 19,535 
			 200304 257,641 80,119 20,945 
		
	
	(33) Formerly North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust.
	Note:
	Data for 20032004 remains provisional.
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the NHS Trusts.

Hospital Funding

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much additional funding was given to the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust to enable them to implement their 2002 franchise plan.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 November 2004
	The Department has not provided additional funding to Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals National Health Service Trust to implement its 2002 franchise plan. Information about the local budget identified to support the implementation of the trust franchise plan can be obtained from the trust.

Hospital Transport

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the effect of changes in (a) insurance specifications and (b) the level of monitoring required of drivers on the number of volunteer drivers who use their own vehicles to transport patients to and from hospital or other medical facilities;
	(2)  what complaints he has received about the operation of hospital transport of patients where volunteer drivers are concerned.

Rosie Winterton: Arrangements for providing volunteer driver schemes for non-emergency transport are a matter for the local national health service or other organisation that is providing the transport. The Department does not collect information centrally on complaints received about volunteer drivers.

Infection Control

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all staff not covered by Agenda for Change will receive training on infection control (a) during initial training or induction and (b) periodically during their career.

John Hutton: Staff not covered by Agenda for Change are doctors, dentists and senior managers. For doctors and dentists, the medical royal colleges will lead and influence the development of the education curriculums. All national health service doctors will be subject to annual appraisal which will help them reflect on their development needs. Training for senior managers will be determined locally by their employer. The Department issued guidance and training materials on cross-infection control to all dental practices in May. Primary care trusts include compliance with this guidance in the inspections they make of dental practices.

Journey Times (Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average journey time is for patients to the nearest (a) general practitioner surgery, (b) dentist and (c) accident and emergency unit in West Derbyshire.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.

Keele University Medical School

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been invested in the new medical school at Keele University and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Stephen Ladyman: Departmental funding for medical schools takes the form of the Service Increment for Teaching (SIFT). This reimburses national health service organisations for the extra costs they incur by providing clinical placements for medical and dental undergraduates. Capital SIFT helps pay for the extra premises needed to accommodate medical and dental undergraduates, both in hospital and primary care settings. Revenue SIFT pays for other infrastructure, including staff time, needed to provide clinical placements for undergraduates.
	Extra SIFT has been provided to support expansion at the Manchester/Keele medical school since 200001. Most undergraduates from Keele undertake their clinical placements at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust which is not a medical school as such but has an education department for Keele medical undergraduates.
	Information on how SIFT capital funding was distributed between Manchester and Keele prior to 200203 is not available centrally. Since 200203 SIFT funding has been managed by strategic health authorities and while a split can now be provided for capital this is not so for revenue. The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  Keele (000) Manchester (000) Total (000) 
		
		
			 Capital
			 200001 Not known Not known 2,524 
			 200102 Not known Not known 792 
			 200203 1,077 1,077 2,154 
			 200304 1,778 662 2,440 
			 200405 8,187 0 8,187 
			 Revenue
			 200001 Not known Not known 115 
			 200102 Not known Not known 115 
			 200203 Not known Not known 1,824 
			 200304 Not known Not known 3,018 
			 200405 Not known Not known 2,644 
		
	
	Notes:
	Figures represent the additional funding provided each year to support expansion at the Manchester/Keele medical school. In the case of revenue the new money is added to baseline provision for the following year. Revenue baseline provision, to support the cohort of students prior to 200001, is not shown. Capital payments are one-off each year.
	In addition, University of North Staffordshire Hospitals NHS trust has received NHS research and development funding as follows:
	2 million during 200003 to provide facilities for research;
	146,000 in 200203 to mobilise and support research at the school.
	This is in addition to the annual allocation of NHS research and development support funding to the trust to meet the research priorities and needs of the NHS and to provide the NHS base for high quality science. The trust's support funding in 200405 will be 2,014,000.

LIFT Programme

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated through the LIFT programme to improve primary care in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) North Staffordshire.

Stephen Ladyman: The North Staffordshire National Health Service Local Improvement Financial Trust (LIFT) project covers the whole of the North Staffordshire area, including Newcastle-Under-Lyme. The Department of Health has allocated capital enabling funding of 5.37 million to the end of 200405 to support LIFT developments across the North Staffordshire area.

Mental Health

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of spending on health and personal social services in each of the last five years was spent on mental health.

Rosie Winterton: The proportion of mental health spend within the hospital and community health services and personal social services budgets over the past five years for which data are available are shown in the following table. The data exclude expenditure concerning people treated in primary care, for whom a specific diagnosis has not been reached. The figures therefore underestimate the total mental health expenditure.
	
		percentages
		
			  Hospital and community health services Personal social services 
		
		
			 199899 11.97 5.20 
			 19992000 12.34 5.25 
			 200001 12.71 5.27 
			 200102 12.70 5.30 
			 200203 13.11 5.36

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children have been diagnosed as suffering from depression in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format.
	The Department provides hospital episode statistics data which relate to diagnostic information for in-patients in national health service hospitals. During their course of treatment over a period of time, patients may have a number of episodes of care, which are counted each time they have a stay in hospital. Information relating to diagnosis where a patient is still under the care of a hospital consultant is not recorded. Information on finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of depression is shown in the table.
	
		Finished consultant episodes for patients with a primary diagnosis of depression F32 and recurrent depression F33broken down by age in NHS hospitals in England
		
			  199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203(34) 
		
		
			 Children (015) 220 262 245 257 214 243 248 
			 Adolescents (1618) 669 706 542 559 523 512 505 
			 Adult (over 18) 50,261 49,634 46,994 44,546 42,529 41,233 33,572 
			 Not known 549 51 148 33 93 75 51 
			 Total 51,699 50,653 47,929 45,395 43,359 42,063 34,376 
		
	
	(34) Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 200203, which has not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data.
	Finished consultant episode (FCE)
	An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare. The figures do not represent the number of patients as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

Mental Health (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total budget is for the delivery of mental health services in Plymouth for this financial year, including relevant primary care trust, acute hospital trust and social services provision.

Rosie Winterton: The Department allocates revenue funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. In the allocations for 200304 to 200506 none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes.
	It is for PCTs in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use these funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	Plymouth local authority was allocated 629,000 for adult mental health services, and 322,000 for children and adolescent mental health services, as part of the overall social services provision made by the Department in 200405.

Mental Health (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many secure units there are for mental health patients in Plymouth; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally. In line with our policy of shifting the balance of power, responsibility for the provision of local health services, including mental health services, now rest with primary care trusts (PCTs). It is for PCTs, in conjunction with strategic health authorities to plan and develop services according to the needs of their local communities.

Mental Health (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed spaces for mental health patients there are in Plymouth.

Rosie Winterton: The Department collects beds data as the average daily number of available beds in each financial year. The latest available figures for 200304 show that Plymouth Primary Care Trust has 166 mental illness beds and Plymouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust has five beds.

Mental Health (Plymouth)

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is primarily responsible for the delivery of mental health services in Plymouth.

Rosie Winterton: National health services adult mental health services are provided by Plymouth Primary Care Trust, and child and adolescent mental health services are provided by Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Microsoft

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Department of Health's press release dated 3 November, if he will make a statement on the extent to which (a) products provided to the NHS free by Microsoft will be customised and (b) users have been consulted in drawing up plans with Microsoft; and what assessment has been made of the benefits to Microsoft from the arrangement.

John Hutton: Work has begun, and is still ongoing, to determine the extent to which the relevant Microsoft products will need to be customised. The work is being informed by very wide-scale consultation involving individual expert clinical systems users covering a variety of disciplines and fields; representatives of appropriate professional bodies including the royal colleges; the National Patient Safety Agency; the British Computer Society's primary care group; the national health service information standards board; and an action team of expert front-line practitioners commissioned by the care record development board. Consultation will be an interactive process and will include arrangements for sign-off of any interface intended for deployment across the NHS.
	Assessment of the benefits to Microsoft from the agreement is a matter for the company.

Mixed Sex Wards

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in ending mixed sex wards in Leicestershire; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The Department has set three objectives to support the delivery of single-sex accommodation, designed to deliver single-sex sleeping accommodation, segregated bathroom and washing facilities and to safeguard the mentally ill. The objectives apply to all national health service organisations providing inpatient accommodation.
	All inpatient hospital accommodation provided within Leicestershire is fully compliant with the standards which the Department has set.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used in selecting locations for National Institute for Clinical Excellence meetings.

Rosie Winterton: The selection criteria used by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for choosing meeting venues are an internal matter for NICE.

National Programme for IT

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation with general practitioners has taken place on the National Programme for IT.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 20 October 2004, Official Report, columns 79799W.

NHS Care for the Elderly

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the cost of providing free personal care for the elderly;
	(2)  how many people aged over 65 years in England and Wales are receiving a pension; and what estimate he has made of the cost of providing them with free personal care.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people over 65 in England in 2003 was 7,946,933, the majority of whom will be receiving a state pension, personal pension or some other form of pension.
	We estimate that free personal care for those requiring it in England and drawn from all age groups would cost some 1.5 billion. It is not possible to break this estimate down by age grouping.
	Information relating to Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

NHS Care for the Elderly

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has received on (a) the total cost of providing free personal care for the elderly in Scotland and (b) the number of elderly people receiving free personal care in Scotland.

Stephen Ladyman: This is a matter for the Scottish Executive and my hon. Friend may wish to write to them about this issue.

NHS Expenditure

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the NHS in North Staffordshire in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Expenditure in the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes North Staffordshire, increased from 831,797,000 in 199798 to 1,292,573,000 in 200203.
	This does not represent the total expenditure, as some elements of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.
	Sources:
	1. Audited summarisation forms of the Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA and of predecessor health authorities.
	2. Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts within the Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA area.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the written statement of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 4WS, on ministerial accountability for NHS foundation trusts, whether the chairs of NHS foundation trusts will be expected to meet the deadlines which apply to Ministers when answering hon. Members' questions;
	(2)  if he will ensure that the requirements set out in guidance to Ministers on answering parliamentary questions apply equally to answers given by chairs of NHS foundation trusts, with particular reference to the requirement that answers should not be misleading.

John Hutton: Individual national health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) are responsible for replying to hon. and right hon. Members' questions or correspondence referred on to them by Ministers, where they specifically relate to operational matters of the organisations. These trusts' terms of authorisation, that is, their licence to operate, will include the requirement that they comply with the same standards expected of Ministers in responding to parliamentary questions. This means that a NHSFT that fails to comply with this requirement will be in breach of its terms of authorisation and that Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHSFTs, can intervene to put this right. I expect, however, that NHSFTs will continue to respond promptly, helpfully and accurately to hon. and right hon. Members' queries.
	NHSFTs are asked to copy their responses to parliamentary questions to Monitor. They are also asked to copy responses to the Department so that they may be placed in the Library.

NHS Staff

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS nurses qualified in each year since 2002; and how many nurses specialising in paediatrics there were in each year since 2002;
	(2)  how many (a) consultants and (b) paediatric consultants there were in the NHS in each year since 2002.

John Hutton: Information on the number of consultants, paediatric consultants, nurses and paediatric nurse employed in the national health service since 2002 is shown in the table.
	Information is not collected centrally on the number of nurses qualifying each year. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) holds information on the number of nurses and midwives initially entering the register, a pre-requisite for employment in the NHS and other sectors in the UK. This information can be found on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.org.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services: medical and dental consultants, consultants within paediatric specialties, all qualified nurses (including practice nurses) and qualified nurses employed in paediatrics
		
			  England: numbers (headcount) 
			  2002(35) 2003(35) Latest data(36) 
		
		
			 All consultants 27,070 28,750 30,171 
			 of which:
			 Paediatric dentistry 22 30 33 
			 Paediatric surgery 105 100 106 
			 Paediatric group 1,695 1,807 1,893 
			 of which:
			 Paediatric cardiology 1,631 1,738 1,827 
			 Paediatrics 64 69 66 
			 All qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors 367,520 386,359 396,359 
			 Of which:
			 Nurses working in paediatrics 18,014 18,437 n/a 
		
	
	(35) Data as at 30 September
	(36) Data for consultants as at June 2004 and March 2004 for nurses.
	Note:
	n/a not available
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
	Between September 2002 and September 2003, the number of consultants increased by 1,680, or 6.2 per cent., and the number of paediatric consultants, comprising paediatric dentistry, paediatric surgery, paediatric cardiology and paediatrics, increased by 115, or 6.3 per cent.
	Between September 2002 and June 2004, the number of consultants increased by 3,101, or 11.5 per cent., and the number of paediatric consultants, comprising paediatric dentistry, paediatric surgery, paediatric cardiology and paediatrics, increased by 210, or 11.5 per cent.
	Between September 2002 and March 2004, the number of nurses employed in the NHS has increased by 28,839, or 7.8 per cent., and between September 2002 and September 2003, the number of nurses employed in the paediatrics area of work has increased by 423, or 2.3 per cent.

NHS Staff

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to attract more doctors and nurses into the NHS since 1997.

John Hutton: A range of recruitment and retention initiatives are in place to help expand the national health service workforce. These include improving pay and conditions, encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer, help with accessing childcare, increasing training, attracting back returners and running national and international recruitment campaigns. As a result of these measures, between September 1997 and March 2004, the number of nurses employed in the NHS has increased by 77,500. Between September 1997 and September 2003, the number of doctors, excluding retainers, employed in the NHS has increased by 19,374.

NHS Staff

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the number of nurses employed in North Staffordshire has changed since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All National Health Service qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, including practice nurses employed by unrestricted principles and equivalents (UPEs)(37), in the specified organisations as at 30 September(38) 1997 and 2003
		
			  headcount 
		
		
			  1997 2003 
			 Total qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (including practice nurses)(39) 3,492 4,211 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands Primary Care Trust n/a 259 
			 Newcastle-Under-Lyme Primary Care Trust n/a 243 
			 North Stoke Primary Care Trust n/a n/a 406 
			 South Stoke Primary Care Trust n/a n/a 364 
			 North Staffordshire Health Authority 2 n/a 
			 North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust 1,883 2,148 
			 North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust 1,264 791 
		
	
	Notes:
	(37) UPEs include general medical service unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted general practitioners and PMS salaried GPs.
	(38) Practice nurse figures are as at 1 October for 1997.
	(39) The 1997 total is not a sum of component parts as a breakdown of the 343 practice nurses for 1997 is not available at organisation level.
	n/a = not applicable.
	Sources:
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.
	Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.

Overseas Nurses

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's rules are on overseas nurses coming into the UK receiving (a) student visas and (b) work permits.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	(a) A person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a student nurse must meet the definition of a student nurse in paragraph 63 of the Immigration Rules and must have been accepted for a course in a recognised nursing educational establishment offering nursing training, which meets the requirements of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. The applicant needs to show that they did not obtain acceptance by misrepresentation; that they are able and intend to follow the course of study and that they do not intend to engage in business or take employment except in connection with the course. They also need to demonstrate that they intend to leave the United Kingdom at the end of the course and that they have sufficient funds to accommodate and maintain themselves and any dependants without engaging in business or taking employment (except in connection with the course), or having recourse to public funds. Those student nurses who successfully complete their course and are offered employment as a nurse can apply to switch into work permit employment. This will be granted provided all the requirements for switching into work permit employment at paragraph 131B of the Rules are met. Most importantly they must hold a valid immigration employment document for employment as a nurse.
	(b) Nurses coming into the UK to take up employment must hold a valid work permit and, in most cases, entry clearance in this capacity. Their employer applies for the work permit on their behalf, and must show that the vacancy meets the work permit requirements. On entering the UK, nurses must show that they are capable of undertaking the employment for which they hold the work permit, and that they do not intend to take any other employment. They must also be able to maintain and accommodate themselves and any dependants without recourse to public funds.
	The Government is committed to managing the impact of international recruitment on source countries. The Department of Health, in consultation with the Department for International Development, has published a Code of Practice for NHS employers involved in the international recruitment of healthcare professionals. This seeks to ensure that countries suffering significant skill shortages of their own are not targeted. On 25 August the Department of Health published proposals to strengthen the code of practice to bring the private sector in line with the NHS.
	Work Permits UK ensure that establishments recruiting overseas nurses are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and are accredited to provide supervised training to nurses undergoing supervised practice. They also check that the number of authorised supervised practice places allocated to the establishment is not exceeded and that the Personal Identification Number (PIN) is valid.
	The Work Permits UK Intelligence Team investigate all allegations of abuse relating to nurses and disseminate their findings as appropriate. The Work Permits UK Compliance and Validation Team also undertake visits based on a random sample to establishments to ensure that overseas nationals are working where the permit was issued for and receiving the training and pay that was stated on the initial application form. This team also conduct visits on behalf of the Intelligence Team, following allegations of abuse.

Paediatric Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets exist for the recruitment of doctors working in paediatric specialities.

John Hutton: There are no national targets for the recruitment of doctors working in paediatric services. Since 1997, the number of consultants working in paediatric specialties rose from 1,321 to 2,032 by June 2004, an increase of 54 per cent.

Pain Relief

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are registered in England to attend (a) pain clinics and (b) appointments with consultants for pain relief on a regular basis.

John Hutton: Information is collected centrally on the number of attendances at consultant out-patient clinics for pain management, including both first and follow-up appointments. The latest information available is for the first quarter of 200405, when there were 66,079 attendances in England.
	Source:
	Department of Health form QMOP.

Prescription Charges

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the prescription charge.

Rosie Winterton: Prescription charge costs in England are reviewed annually and any changes introduced in April. In recent years, increases in charge costs have been below the rate of inflation. Currently, 86 per cent. of prescription items are dispensed in the community free of charge.

Primary Care Trust (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of Newcastle-under-Lyme Primary Care Trust has been in each year since its establishment.

Stephen Ladyman: The table shows the allocations and cash increases to Newcastle-Under-Lyme Primary Care Trust for each year since its establishment in 2002.
	
		
			  Allocation ( million) Cash increase (percentage) 
		
		
			 200203 83.1 9.5 
			 200304 91.3 8.6 
			 200405 99.8 9.3 
			 200506 108.8 9.0

Psychiatric Care

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent (a) psychiatrists and (b) psychiatric nurses are employed in each of the primary care trusts that cover the Geater London area.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: qualified psychiatric nurses employed in the London Government office region, by strategic health authority and primary care trust as at 30 September 2003
		
			 whole-time equivalent 
			   Total psychiatric nurses Community psychiatry Other psychiatry 
		
		
			  London total 260 63 197 
			 Q04 North West London SHA
			 5HX Ealing PCT 1 1 0 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 221 52 169 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 1 1 0 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 6 0 6 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 8 1 7 
			 5C9 Haringey PCT 2 1 1 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 8 2 6 
			 Q06 North East London SHA
			 5C5 Newham PCT 2 1 1 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 2 0 2 
			 Q07 South East London SHA
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 4 4 0 
			 5A8 Greenwich PCT 3 0 3 
			 Q08 South West London SNA
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 2 0 2 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 1 0 1 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services: medical and dental staff within the psychiatry group of specialties, by strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) within the London Government office region
		
			 Whole-time equivalents 
			September 2003 June 2004 
			   All staffof which Consultant Consultant 
		
		
			 London  48 23 27 
			 North Central London Q05
			 Enfield PCT 5C1 4 1 2 
			 Haringey PCT 5C9 1 (40) (40) 
			 Islington PCT 5K8 5 5 7 
			 North West London Q04
			 Brent PCT 5K5 4 1 1 
			 Ealing PCT 5HX 1 1 1 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 5H1 2 1 1 
			 Harrow PCT 5K6 2 1 1 
			 Hillingdon PCT 5AT 19 9 9 
			 Hounslow PCT 5HY 1 1 1 
			 Westminster PCT 5LC 1 (40) (40) 
			 South East London Q07
			 Bromley PCT 5A7 2 1 1 
			 South West London Q08
			 Kingston PCT 5A5 6 2 2 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 5M7 (41)0 (40) (40) 
		
	
	(40) Denotes zero.
	(41) Denotes more than zero, less than one.
	Note:
	Data for June 2004 is taken from the medical and dental workforce mini census, which collected consultants only.
	Source:
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.

Residential Homes

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the cost of care in residential homes that is paid for by residents of homes.

Stephen Ladyman: Care homes are private businesses and the fees residents pay are negotiated between the care home and the person or organisation that pays the fees. Residents with less than 20,000 in savings are entitled to help with these costs and residents with less than 12,250 have their care paid for by social services.
	In assessing a resident's ability to pay, local authority social services use the National Assistance Act (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1992.
	The next set of amendments to the National Assistance (Assessment of Resources) Regulations will come into force in April 2005. We will be consulting on changes to the Regulations and the accompanying Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide, the guidance to local authorities which helps them to apply the regulations, later this year.

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses are employed in each primary care trust area.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available. Information on the number of school nurses employed in the national health service will be collected in the September 2004 non-medical work force census, and we intend to publish the data in February 2005.

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are offered by school nurses.

Stephen Ladyman: School nurses provide health services to school aged children with a particular emphasis on health improvement. The role includes monitoring the health of children and young people, delivering health promotion and immunisation programmes, providing one to one health advice and contributing to the curriculum. School nurses also provide nursing care to support pupils with medical needs in school. The service varies according to local priorities and needs and the contribution of other practitioners.

School Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses there are per school age pupil.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available. Information on the number of school nurses employed in the national health service will be collected in the September 2004 non-medical work force census and we intend to publish the data in February 2005.

Smoking

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent measures his Department has taken to increase the awareness in schools in the Greater London area of the dangers of smoking.

Stephen Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
	All pupils learn about the dangers of smoking as a statutory part of the National Curriculum Science Order and the non-statutory framework for Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).
	In 200304 we rolled out a programme of certification for PSHE teachers to improve their knowledge and expertise, including a specialist module for drug, alcohol and tobacco education. Already over 600 teachers have participated and there is funding for up to 3,000 teachers in 200405. The National Healthy Schools Standard (NHSS) supports the teaching of drug, alcohol and tobacco education and currently over 14,000 schools are participating. We aim to recruit all schools with a 20 per cent. or more free school meals entitlement to the NHSS by 2006.
	Although there is currently no pan-London project specifically on smoking, many of the local NHS Stop Smoking Services are working with schools in their area to provide support and information to teachers, pupils, and school nurses.

Waiting Times

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what milestones have been set for delivering the planning framework target of maximum 18 week waits by 2008; and what changes have been made to data collection to support (a) the measurement of the target and (b) the monitoring of the milestones.

John Hutton: holding answer 15 November 2004
	Strategic health authorities (SHAs) will need to agree primary care trusts' annual plans to ensure delivery of all national targets.
	Central working assumptions have been shared with SHAs to test the robustness of these plans and are available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/83/44/04088344.pdf. Copies have been placed in the Library.
	Officials are working with national health service colleagues to ensure the necessary amendments are made to existing collections in order to monitor progress against these assumptions and measurement of the target.

Waiting Times

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the clinical areas where the NHS in West Derbyshire has longer (a) waiting lists and (b) waiting times than the national average.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		Patients waiting for elective inpatient admission per 1,000 population: Position at 30 September 2004
		
			  England Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire primary care trust (PCT) High Peak and Dales PCT 
		
		
			 General surgery 2.934  3.295 
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 4.725 4.811 5.382 
			 Ear, nose and throat 1.552  1.657 
			 Oral surgery 0.784 0.921  
			 Paediatric dentistry 0.037  0.050 
			 General medicine 0.334  1.448 
			 Gastroenterology 0.233 0.428 0.519 
			 Clinical haematology 0.009  0.020 
			 Dermatology 0.063 0.065  
			 Nephrology 0.015  0.030 
			 Rheumatology 0.033 0.047  
			 Paediatrics 0.022 0.028 0.030 
			 Paediatric neurology 0.005  0.010 
			 Obstetrics and gynaecology (gynaecology) 1.455  1.747 
			 Radiology 0.006  0.010 
		
	
	Sources:
	Department of Health form QF01 and Office for National Statistics.
	
		Average (median) waiting times for elective inpatient admissions in weeks: position at 30 September 2004
		
			  England Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT High Peak and Dales PCT 
		
		
			 Trauma and orthopaedics 12.59 13.16 11.87 
			 Ear, nose and throat 10.41 6.42 13.72 
			 Oral surgery 8.57 11.65 7.80 
			 Paediatric dentistry 10.37  13.00 
			 Neurosurgery 11.63 14.08 12.28 
			 Cardiothoracic surgery 8.05 11.70 5.42 
			 General medicine 5.67 2.89 8.55 
			 Gastroenterology 5.16 6.50 3.70 
			 Clinical haematology 3.20  15.17 
			 Cardiology 8.49 3.76 8.82 
			 Dermatology 5.19 5.78  
			 Rheumatology 3.93 8.67  
			 Paediatrics 3.99 2.89 4.33 
			 Obstetrics and gynaecology (gynaecology) 7.68 5.80 9.67 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QF01.

Waiting Times

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to NHS waiting list times for (a) inpatients, (b) outpatients and (c) accident and emergency cases in North Staffordshire since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: At the University Hospital of North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust (formerly North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust) in March 1997 there were 93 patients waiting more than 12 months for inpatient treatment and 382 waiting 911 months. Latest figures show no one is waiting more than nine months.
	In March 1997, there were 3,966 patients waiting more than 13 weeks for outpatient treatment at the trust. Latest figures show 1,282 waiting more than 13 weeks.
	Latest figures show that 89 per cent, of patients spend less than four hours in the major accident and emergency departments of the trust. In September 2002 the figure was 35.9 per cent. This data was not collected centrally before 2002.

Worcester

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Worcester constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Worcester constituency.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Worcester constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of June 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has fallen to 0, from 752 in June 2002.
	At the end of June 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within South Worcestershire PCT has fallen to 445, from 743 in June 2002.
	In September 2002, at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, 85.3 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for June 2004 show an improvement to 90.8 per cent.
	Between September 2000 and June 2004 the number of consultants at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 144 to 181. Between September 2000 and September 2003 the number of nurses has increased from 1,485 to 1,875.
	Between September 2001 and June 2004 the number of General Medical Practitioners within South Worcestershire PCT has increased from 172 to 208.
	Figures for September 2004 show that all patients within South Worcestershire PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a general practitioner within two working days and a primary care professional within one working day.
	Worcestershire Royal Hospital, part of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, is a new 87 million hospital with the latest facilities and equipment. The hospital, which opened in March 2002 has 550 beds and incorporates nine operating theatres, a large accident and emergency department, a medical assessment unit, and a critical care unit.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: Within the Home Office, the Marketing and Strategic Communication Unit (MSCU) is responsible for public relations and publicity. The salary costs of staff involved in this area of work since 1997 are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year MSCU 
		
		
			 199798 367,340 
			 199899 391,703 
			 19992000 607,327 
			 200001 705,086 
			 200102 760,373 
			 200203 1,002,436 
			 200304 1,371,718 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. 200203 Communications Strategy and Co-ordination Unit merged with MSCU.
	2. 200304 These figures do not include the salary costs of the Web Services team, which transferred to MSCU in September 2003.
	In 200304 this cost was 0.045 per cent. of the overall salary bill for Home Office.
	The Marketing and Strategic Communication Unit develop communication campaigns which support the delivery of Home Office objectives. Recent campaigns have helped recruit record numbers of police officers, reduce vehicle crime, warn children and their parents about the dangers of paedophiles on the internet, and provide a source of help and advice on drug misuse. Expenditure on communication staff has risen as the Home Office has become increasingly engaged with the public to help deliver real social change.
	Details of expenditure on staff outside of this unit who may have been involved in any related exercises is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Annual Report

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many copies of his Department's annual report were printed in each year since 1997; how many were sold in each year; and what the (a) publication costs and (b) sales revenue were.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office Departmental Report is the main vehicle by which the Home Office explains its aims and performance for 200304, and how it organised itself to deliver. As such it plays an important part in maintaining accountability to both Parliament and the public. It also provides key external stakeholders with an overview of the Department's activities as a whole. The annual report can be downloaded free of charge on the Home Office website.
	The Report's publication was handled by The Stationery Office (TSO). Under the terms of the contract with TSO, that company generally meets the costs of printing and publication and uses its commercial judgement as to the number of copies which it prints and the sale price. TSO are not obliged to provide such information as these are costs which they meet themselves and are not charged to Departments.
	TSO have provided details of the number of copies of the Annual Report which they have sold since 1998 (those for previous years are not available). These figures do not include those copies ordered by the Home Office for distribution to senior staff and key stakeholders.
	
		
			 Edition Copies issued by TSO 
		
		
			 1998 728 
			 1999 551 
			 2000 509 
			 2001 560 
			 2002 506 
			 2003 506 
			 2004(42) 333 
		
	
	(42) To date.
	The Publisher retains the revenues which they earn from sales and which are aimed at ensuring the recovery of their costs.
	The direct costs of production borne by the Home Office and the printing costs of those copies ordered by the Department for senior staff and key stakeholders are shown in the table.
	These costs exclude VAT (where applicable). They also exclude the costs of staff time within the Department as obtaining estimates would involve disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Year of publishing Quantity ordered by the Home Office Direct costs incurred by Home Office  
		
		
			 1997 Not known Not known 
			 1998 Not known Not Known 
			 1999 1,000 43,320.37 
			 2000 900 35,320.46 
			 2001 1,050 80,537.66 
			 2002 1,200 48,379.33 
			 2003 1,203 34,126.65 
			 2004 1,150 65,281.50

Asylum Seekers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was provided to local authorities to deal with the costs associated with asylum seekers and their dependants in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) funding stream.

Des Browne: Information for the financial years 199798 and 199899 is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	Payments made to local authorities on the basis of normal funding grants and special circumstances grants in 19992000, 200001 and 200102 are presented in the following table by authority and funding stream and a copy will be placed in the Library. These payments are made from within the overall National Asylum Support Service budget.
	Payments for 200203 and 200304 are subject to audit.

Asylum Seekers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) asylum seeker dependants reside in the UK, broken down by local authority area.

Des Browne: Figures for asylum seekers (including dependants) supported in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation and those in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS in each local authority area as at the end of June 2004 are presented in the following tables. Corresponding figures for those not in receipt of NASS support are not available.
	Numbers of asylum seekers placed in NASS accommodation and numbers who are in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Information covering the third quarter of 2004 (July to September) was published on 16 November on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS, by local authority and UK Government OfficeRegion as at the end of June 2004
		
			 England  Number of applicants (including dependants Percentage 
		
		
			 North East Gateshead 30  
			  Middlesbrough 40  
			  Newcastle upon Tyne 50  
			  Stockton-on-Tees 20  
			  Other 35  
			  Total 175 1 
			 
			 North West Bolton 40  
			  Liverpool 105  
			  Manchester 395  
			  Oldham 25  
			  Pendle 20  
			  Preston 25  
			  Salford 60  
			  Sefton 20  
			  Stockport 25  
			  Trafford 25  
			  Other 130  
			  Total 865 3 
			 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Bradford 140  
			  Doncaster 30  
			  Kingston upon Hull 60  
			  Kirklees 40  
			  Leeds 245  
			  Rotherham 25  
			  Sheffield 120  
			  Wakefield 25  
			  Other 70  
			  Total 760 3 
			 
			 East Midlands Corby 20  
			  Derby 70  
			  Leicester 400  
			  Northampton 140  
			  Nottingham 140  
			  Other 105  
			  Total 870 3 
			 
			 West Midlands Birmingham 650  
			  Coventry 215  
			  Dudley 30  
			  Sandwell 120  
			  Stoke-on-Trent 30  
			  Walsall 30  
			  Wolverhampton 95  
			  Other 80  
			  Total 1,255 5 
			 
			 East of England Bedford 70  
			  Ipswich 35  
			  King's Lynn and West Norfolk 25  
			  Luton 230  
			  Norwich 20  
			  Peterborough 165  
			  South Cambridgeshire 35  
			  Southend-on-Sea 80  
			  Thurrock 40  
			  Watford 45  
			  Other 205  
			  Total 955 4 
			 
			 Greater London Barking and Dagenham 370  
			  Barnet 575  
			  Bexley 70  
			  Brent 1,275  
			  Bromley 70  
			  Camden 385  
			  Croydon 605  
			  Ealing 1,205  
			  Enfield 1,120  
			  Greenwich 430  
			  Hackney 945  
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 270  
			  Haringey 1,675  
			  Harrow 490  
			  Havering 35  
			  Hillingdon 430  
			  Hounslow 570  
			  Islington 555  
			  Kingston upon Thames 105  
			  Lambeth 815  
			  Lewisham 585  
			  Merton 380  
			  Newham 1,650  
			  Redbridge 560  
			  Richmond upon Thames 60  
			  Southward 760  
			  Button 100  
			  Tower Hamlets 270  
			  Waltham Forest 900  
			  Wandsworth 565  
			  Westminster 305  
			  Other *  
			  Total 18,295 72 
			 
			 South East Ashford 30  
			  Brighton and Hove 80  
			  Crawley 70  
			  Dartford 20  
			  Eastbourne 20  
			  Gravesham 30  
			  Hastings 65  
			  Maidstone 25  
			  Medway 50  
			  Milton Keynes 125  
			  Oxford 105  
			  Portsmouth 30  
			  Reading 115  
			  Rushmoor 40  
			  Slough 285  
			  Southampton 105  
			  Thanet 35  
			  Other 315  
			  Total 1,550 6 
			 
			 South West Bournemouth 35  
			  Bristol 175  
			  Gloucester 25  
			  Plymouth 20  
			  Swindon 40  
			  Other 65  
			  Total 355 1 
			 
			  Total (England) 25,085 99 
			 
			 Wales Cardiff 50  
			  Newport 30  
			  Swansea 30  
			  Other 40  
			  Total 155 1 
			 
			 Scotland Edinburgh 65  
			  Glasgow City 80  
			  Other 55  
			  Total 200 1 
			 
			 Northern Ireland Other 20  
			  Total 20 0 
			 
			  Total (United Kingdom) 25,465  
		
	
	* = 1 or 2. Figures (other than percentages) are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding.
	Note:
	Local authorities with fewer than 20 cases are grouped by region as Other.
	
		Asylum seekers supported in NASS accommodation, by local authority and UK Government Office Region, as at the end of June 2004
		
			   Number of applicants (including dependants) 
			 Region Local authority Dispersed Disbenefited Total 
		
		
			 England 
			 North East Darlington 30  30 
			  Gateshead 450 5 455 
			  Hartlepool 30  30 
			  Middlesbrough 610 5 615 
			  Newcastle upon Tyne 1,565 10 1,575 
			  North Tyneside 340  340 
			  Redcar and Cleveland 335  335 
			  South Tyneside 145  145 
			  Stock-on-Tees 525  525 
			  Sunderland 565  565 
			  Total 4,600 25 4,620 
			  
			 North West Blackburn with Darwen 335 15 350 
			  Bolton 765  765 
			  Burnley 30  30 
			  Bury 490  490 
			  Crewe and Nantwich 5  5 
			  Hyndburn *  * 
			  Liverpool 1,055  1.055 
			  Manchester 1,325 15 1,340 
			  Oldham 565  565 
			  Pendle 25  25 
			  Preston  * * 
			  Rochdale 435  435 
			  Salford 920 5 920 
			  Sefton 50  50 
			  Stockport 235  235 
			  Tameside 265  265 
			  Trafford 100 10 105 
			  Wigan 685  685 
			  Wirral  5 5 
			  Total 7,280 45 7,325 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Barnsley 510  510 
			  Bradford 1,235 10 1,245 
			  Calderdale 265  265 
			  Doncaster 985  985 
			  Kingston upon Hull, City of 785  785 
			  Kirklees 1,070  1,070 
			  Leeds 1,995 5 2,000 
			  North East Lincolnshire 175  175 
			  Rotherham 695  695 
			  Sheffield 1,330 5 1,340 
			  Wakefield 485  485 
			  York  5 5 
			  Total 9,530 25 9,555 
			  
			 East Midlands Charnwood 15  15 
			  Derby 805  805 
			  Gedling 15  15 
			  Leicester 935 5 940 
			  Lincoln 35  35 
			  Northampton  5 5 
			  Nottingham 1,030  1,030 
			  Rushcliffe 5  5 
			  Total 2,840 10 2,850 
			  
			 West Midlands Birmingham 2,845 30 2,875 
			  Coventry 955  955 
			  Dudley 655  655 
			  Herefordshire  5 5 
			  Newcastle-under-Lyme 35  35 
			  Nuneaton and Bedworth  5 5 
			  Sandwell 845 15 860 
			  Solihull 100  100 
			  Stoke-on-Trent 885 5 895 
			  Walsall 555  555 
			  Wolverhampton 875  875 
			  Wychavon  5 5 
			  Total 7,760 65 7,820 
			  
			 East of England Bedford  10 10 
			  Broadland 5  5 
			  Epping Forest 20  20 
			  Ipswich 55 5 60 
			  Luton  10 10 
			  Norwich 130 * 130 
			  Peterborough 415 * 415 
			  Southend-on-Sea  15 15 
			  Stevenage  * * 
			  Watford  5 5 
			  Total 620 55 670 
			  
			 Greater London Camden 15 20 35 
			  Croydon  80 80 
			  Ealing  75 75 
			  Enfield 140 115 255 
			  Greenwich  25 25 
			  Hackney 45 65 115 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham  75 75 
			  Haringey 310 160 470 
			  Harrow  50 50 
			  Havering  5 5 
			  Hillingdon  15 15 
			  Hounslow  15 15 
			  Islington 40 80 120 
			  Kensington and Chelsea  5 5 
			  Kingston upon Thames  10 10 
			  Lambeth  45 45 
			  Lewisham  55 55 
			  Merton  15 15 
			  Newham 30 115 145 
			  Redbridge 10 45 55 
			  Richmond upon Thames  5 5 
			  Southwark  50 50 
			  Sutton  5 5 
			  Tower Hamlets  15 15 
			  Waltham Forest 45 75 120 
			  Wandsworth  10 10 
			  Westminster  20 20 
			  Total 660 1,375 2,035 
			  
			 South East Brighton and Hove 40 15 55 
			  Dartford  5 5 
			  Hastings 145  145 
			  Medway  10 10 
			  Milton Keynes  * * 
			  Oxford  15 15 
			  Portsmouth 440  440 
			  Slough  10 10 
			  Southampton 250 5 255 
			  Total 880 60 940 
			  
			  
			 South West Bristol 420  420 
			  Exeter 45  45 
			  Gloucester 80 30 110 
			  Plymouth 445  445 
			  South Gloucestershire 85  85 
			  Swindon 130 10 145 
			  Weymouth and Portland  * * 
			  Total 1,210 45 1,255 
			  
			  Total (England) 35,375 1,695 37,070 
			  
			 Wales Cardiff 1,060  1,060 
			  Neath Port Talbot *  * 
			  Newport 355 5 360 
			  Swansea 900  900 
			  Wrexham 55  55 
			  Total 2,370 5 2,375 
			  
			 Scotland Glasgow City 5,580  5,580 
			  Total 5,580  5,580 
			  
			 Northern Ireland Belfast 100  100 
			  Coleraine *  * 
			  Newry and Mourne *  * 
			  Newtownabbey 5  5 
			  Total 110  110 
			  
			  Total (United Kingdom) 43,435 1,700 45,135 
		
	
	* = 1 or 2. Figures (other than percentages) are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding.
	Notes:
	Disbenefited cases are cases which were previously supported under the main UK benefits system and have been moved onto NASS support. Some of these cases have remained in the original social services accommodation.

Asylum Seekers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent in each year since 1996 from all public funded sources in support of asylum seekers and their families.

Des Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office assumed responsibility for the direct costs of supporting asylum seekers from April 1999. The costs include payments made to local authorities for accommodation, as well as those made to the private sector. Prior to this, costs fell to the Departments of Health and Social Security. The following amounts have been spent directly on asylum seeker support.
	
		
			  million 
		
		
			 199697 413 
			 199798 375 
			 199899 475 
			 199900 590 
			 200001 747 
			 200102 1,046 
			 200203 1,070 
			 200304 (43) 
		
	
	(43) The actual Asylum Support costs for 200304 are yet to be audited and published.
	Further information on any other costs to local or central Government, specifically related to the support of asylum seekers is not currently available.

Asylum Seekers

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed Palestinian asylum seekers have been removed in the last 12 months.

Des Browne: It is not possible to say how many asylum seekers of Palestinian origin have been removed from the United Kingdom in the last 12 months. Information is collated only on the nationality of asylum seekers; Palestine is an occupied territory rather than an independent country.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time is between initial decision in asylum cases and the hearing of an appeal before an adjudicator.

Des Browne: Information on the average time between an initial decision in asylum cases and the hearing of an appeal before an Adjudicator is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	However, the Home Office and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) set a jointly owned Public Service Agreement target for 200304 that 60 per cent. of substantive asylum applications received from 1 April 2003 should have a decision, up to and including appeal at the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, within six months. The latest published data shows that the Home Office and DCA are exceeding this target. 63 per cent. of substantive applications1,2, received in the period April to December 2003, were decided within six months 3 . This compares to an average of 20 months for a decision in 1997.
	Information on the timeliness of case processing, up to and including appeals, is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	1 A-CID as at 12 July 2004.
	2 Excludes withdrawals and 3rd country cases, which may be the responsibility of other EU member states under the Dublin Convention. Home Office's Public Service Agreement target for 200304 is 60 per cent. Details of the targets are given in the 2000 Spending Review Public Service Agreements White Paper at http://www.treasury.gov.uk/. Excludes asylum applications lodged by Iraqis between 1 February and 31 May 2003.
	3 Six months is defined as 182 days.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many failed asylum seekers remain in the UK.

Des Browne: Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available. Some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service.
	The number of cases (principal applicants) awaiting initial decision or awaiting appeal determinations continues to fall as the level of applications falls, initial decisions continue to outstrip the number of applications, and record numbers of appeals are determined by the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). The latest published figures show that as at the end of June 2004 there were:
	13,300 cases awaiting an initial decision (of this total, 4,900 cases were work in progress, ie the application had been outstanding for six months or less), the lowest level for a decade
	an estimated 9,000 appeals lodged with the Home Office which had not been sent to the IAA (a proportion of appeals lodged do not result in appeal bundles being sent to the IAA); and
	22,600 asylum cases work in progress in the IAA (9,900 at the adjudicator tier, 7,300 applications for permission to appeal to the tribunal, and 5,400 tribunal appeals).
	Information on asylum applications are published on a quarterly and annual basis. The next publication covering the third quarter of 2004 (July to September) will be available on 16 November 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access to (a) the benefit system, (b) local authority housing and (c) medical care failed asylum seekers have.

Des Browne: Failed asylum seekers are not able to access mainstream benefits or social housing. The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) provides support to eligible asylum seekers until a final decision is made on their claim. With the exception of families including dependants under 18, support must end no later than 21 days after the receipt of a final negative decision. Failed asylum seekers unable to leave immediately due to circumstances entirely beyond their control may be eligible for accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The criteria are published on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.
	No one requiring immediately necessary medical treatment will ever be denied it, irrespective of their immigration status. However, under the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, failed asylum seekers will be expected to pay for NHS hospital treatment in certain circumstances, just like anyone else without a legal basis of stay in this country. Failed asylum seekers are not normally eligible for NHS primary medical services.

Asylum Seekers

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers were removed from the UK during the last 12 months.

Des Browne: Between July 2003 and June 2004 (the latest date for which data are available) 13,495 principal asylum applicants were removed from the UK; 17,020 including dependants. This includes people who departed 'voluntarily' after enforcement action has been initiated against them and those who departed under the Assisted Voluntary Returns scheme organised by the International Organisation for Migration.
	Information on asylum seekers who were removed from the UK between July and September 2004 will be published on 16 November on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum Seekers

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) services and (b) assistance are available to asylum seekers who have been refused asylum but are unable to return home, with particular reference to those who have no means of income or independent support; and what plans his Department has to improve services and assistance for such people.

Des Browne: There is nothing to prevent the majority of failed asylum seekers from leaving the UK voluntarily. Failed asylum seekers are provided with details on assistance for those wishing to depart voluntarily. Those failed asylum seekers who are destitute and unable to leave immediately for reasons entirely beyond their control can seek the provision of accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The criteria for accessing section 4 support are tight since the provision of accommodation is restricted to those who cannot rather than will not leave.
	In addition, the National Asylum Support Service grant funds voluntary sector organisations to provide one stop services for asylum seekers in each region of the UK. The grant agreements with the voluntary sector have recently been expanded to require the one stop services to give impartial advice about and assistance with the options open to failed asylum seekers including the Voluntary Assisted Returns and Reintegration Programme (VARRP), support under section 4 and other voluntary sector support.

Asylum Seekers

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to permit failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned home the right to work in this country.

Des Browne: It would be wrong to allow failed asylum seekers to work because it would undermine their incentive to comply with the removal process. It also runs counter to the Government's policy of protecting the asylum system from being exploited by people who are in fact illegal economic migrants. Failed asylum seekers who are genuinely unable to return home due to circumstances beyond their control can, providing they are complying with efforts to return them, seek accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. There is no need for them to become homeless or destitute.

Asylum/Immigration

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to reach a final decision on an asylum application was in the last period for which figures are available.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Information on the average time taken to reach a final decision on an asylum application is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files. Some cases do not result in such decisions, for example if the application is withdrawn.
	However, the Home Office and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) set a jointly owned public service agreement target for 200304 that 60 per cent. of substantive asylum applications received from 1 April 2003 should have a decision, up to and including appeal at the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, within six months. The latest published data show that the Home Office and DCA are exceeding this target. 63 per cent. of substantive applications1,2, received in the period April to December 2003, were decided within six months 3 . This compares to an average of 20 months for a decision in 1997.
	Information on the timeliness of case processing, up to and including appeals, is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	1 Source: A-CID as at 12 July 2004.
	2 Excludes withdrawals and third country cases, which may be the responsibility of other EU member states under the Dublin convention. Home Office's public service agreement target for 200304 is 60 per cent. Details of the targets are given in the 2000 Spending Review Public Service Agreements White Paper at http://www.treasury.gov.uk/. Excludes asylum applications lodged by Iraqis between 1 February and 31 May 2003.
	3 Six months is defined as 182 days.

Bribery

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the UK Central Authority received a request from the (a) US authorities, (b) French authorities and (c) Nigerian authorities for assistance with their investigation into allegations of bribery relating to a Nigerian LNG plant.

Caroline Flint: Letters of request for assistance in criminal matters from foreign governments are treated confidentially, as communications between two countries. In accordance with this practice, we are unable to confirm or deny that we have received requests in this matter.

Burglary

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were jailed in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003 under section 111 of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 for a third offence of burglary.

Paul Goggins: Information reported to the Home Office shows that six people were sentenced under section 111 of the Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 (previously section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997) in England and Wales for a third offence of burglary in 2001 and two in 2002.
	Information for 2003 is due for publication in November.

Cannabis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for possession of cannabis in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: Details of the number of convictions for possession of cannabis in each of the years between 1992 and 2002 are in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics 2001 and 2002 (Table S2.29 of the Supplementary tables). The information is analysed from the Home Office Drug Seizures Database.
	The Bulletin is available on the RDS website and in the Library http://uk.sitestat.com/homeoffice/homeoffice/s?rds.hosb0804pdfn s_type=pdfns_url=%5Bhttp: //www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/ hosb0804.pdf %5D http://uk.sitestat.com/homeoffice/homeoffice/s?rd s.hosb0804areap dfns_type=pdfns_url=%5 Bhttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdf s04/hosb0804 area,pdf%5D.

Charities Bill

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why service non-public funds are no longer to be excepted charities in the draft Charities Bill.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Charity Commission's register was created in the 1960s to provide public information about the existence and status of individual charities. Some classes of charity, including service charitable funds, were excepted from the registration requirement because either the relevant information about them was provided by some other means or there was no public interest in them. Excepted charities continued to be regulated by the Commission even if they were not registered with it.
	The Government believes that, to enhance the accountability of charities and to promote public confidence in the regulatory arrangements, all charities that are regulated by the Charity Commission should appear on its public register. The Government have included a provision in the draft Charities Bill to achieve this by ending the system of exceptions from registration. The Government have set the initial income threshold for registration at 100,000 per annum in order to provide for a manageable process of registration over time.
	There is a public interest in service charitable funds. They benefit from the tax reliefs available to charities generally, and they can make use of the Gift Aid scheme which allows them to receive donations in a tax efficient way.

Charities Bill

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether heritage assets are to be included in the balance sheets of service non-public funds under the draft Charities Bill.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Charities Bill will make no change to the existing rules on the content of the accounts of non-public funds belonging to service charities. This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Director of Policy and Strategy at the Charity Commission will write to the hon. Member and a copy of her letter will be placed in the Library.

Citizenship Requirements

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to modify the language requirement for citizenship applications for people from countries where English is either an official language or is the sole official language.

Des Browne: holding answer 2 November 2004
	We have no plans to discriminate between nationalities in this way. The requirement to demonstrate knowledge of English applies to all applicants. The fact that someone comes from a country where English is an official language does not guarantee that they can speak it to the standard required for naturalisation as a British citizen.
	The Home Office website explains how fluent English speakers can most easily demonstrate their knowledge of the language.

Community Punishment (London)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours of community punishment were awarded by the courts in the London area in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: The available information, from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database is as follows:
	
		Total number of hours of community punishment(44) imposed by all courts in London, 2000 to 2002
		
			  Total number of hours 
		
		
			 2000 768,445 
			 2001 770,256 
			 2002 878,510 
		
	
	(44) Total hours of community punishment orders and community punishment within community punishment and rehabilitation orders. Data are on the principal offence basis.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published later in November.

Convicted Criminals (EU Nationals)

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of the new EU accession states have been convicted of crimes in magistrates courts in England and Wales since May.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 15 November 2004
	Information held on the Home Office court proceedings database does not include the nationality of the defendant.

Crime

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers preventing racial harassment have been introduced since 1997; and how many times these powers have been used in Burnley.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 created new and separate offences where the offences of causing fear and violence or of causing harassment, alarm or distress under the Public Order Act 1986, or the offences of harassment or putting in fear of violence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were racially aggravated.
	Figures for the number of prosecutions in Burnley for this type of offence are not centrally available. Over the period 19992000 to 200203, Lancashire police recorded a total of 1,122 racially- or religiously-aggravated harassment offences.
	Prior to 1997, the Race Relations Act (RRA) 1976 prohibited discrimination on racial grounds. The RRA did not specifically refer to harassment, but it was clear from case law that racial harassment was a type of detriment capable of amounting to the kind of treatment prohibited by the Act.
	As part of its fulfilment of its obligations under the EC Race Directive, the UK amended the Race Relations Act 1976 (by virtue of the Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003) so as to make it unlawful to harass a person, on grounds of race or ethnic or national origins, in the areas of activity covered by the 1976 Act.

Crime

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by juvenile offenders in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) the East Midlands in each of the last two quarters for which figures are available; and how many cautions were issued.

Paul Goggins: The information contained in the table gives the number of juveniles (persons aged 1017) convicted of all offences and those given reprimands and final warnings, during the last two quarters of 2002 in the East Midlands. It also contains data for the Derbyshire police force area, and, for persons found guilty, in the petty sessional areas of Derby and South Derbyshire and North East Derbyshire which cover the area of the West Derbyshire constituency.
	The information collected centrally does not enable cautions in the West Derbyshire constituency to be identified. Neither is it possible to give the number of crimes committed by juveniles, only the number of juveniles who are found guilty of all offences.
	Statistics for 2003 will be published on 18 November.
	
		Number of juveniles found guilty at all courts, and those given reprimands and final warnings(45)for all offences, East Midlands, 3rd and 4th quarter 2002
		
			  Area, age and disposal etc. 3rdQuarter 2002 4th Quarter 2002 
		
		
			 East Midlands(46)   
			 Juveniles aged 1017 receiving a reprimand 1,243 1,138 
			 Juveniles aged 1017 receiving a final warning 451 404 
			 Juveniles aged 1017 found guilty 1,781 1,669 
			 of which:   
			 Derbyshire police force area 
			 Juveniles aged 1017 receiving a reprimand(47) 250 224 
			 Juveniles aged 1017 receiving a final warning(47) 139 141 
			 Juveniles aged 1017 found guilty   
			 of which:   
			 found guilty in the Derby and South Derbyshire PSA 172 150 
			 found guilty in the North East Derbyshire and Dales PSA 116 100 
		
	
	(45) Cautions were replaced by reprimands and final warnings for persons under 18 from June 2000.
	(46) Police force areas of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire.
	(47) Not available by petty sessional area.

Criminal Justice

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions have taken place between his Department and his colleagues at the Northern Ireland Office about the Draft Treaty on Co-operation on Criminal Justice issues between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 19 October 2004
	There have been official-level contacts between the Home Office and the Northern Ireland Office during the year with respect to co-operation on criminal justice issues between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. These have included reference to the proposed draft Intergovernmental Agreement on Criminal Justice Co-operation as set out in the Updated Criminal Justice Review Implementation Plan published by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in June 2003.
	Northern Ireland Office officials have been in touch with officials in the Performance and Delivery Unit, Judicial Co-operation Unit, Criminal Law Policy Unit and the European and International Unit of the Home Office, and through them also with officials involved in road crime and drugs policy, as well as the Secretary of State's private office. I am satisfied that the Department is being kept fully apprised of relevant developments in this area.

Custodial Sentencing Statistics

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were given custodial sentences of (a) less than 12 months, (b) between one and four years and (c) more than four years in Crown Courts in each year since 1995, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) age and (iii) type of offence.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is contained in the table and relates to England and Wales for the years 1995 to 2002 and a copy will be placed in the Library.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published in the autumn.

Cyber Crime

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to prevent financial fraud originating on the world wide web.

Caroline Flint: The Government take the issue of fraud on the world wide web very seriously and have taken a number of steps to tackle this kind of crime.
	The Home Office website provides advice on avoiding internet fraud, while the Department of Trade and Industry has advice on scams and rip-offs, including internet scams, on its Consumer Direct website.
	The Home Office has created, and maintains the 'e-tailing mini site', which forms part of the crime reduction website. The mini site provides information to help both businesses and consumers protect themselves specifically when using the internet.
	We have published, jointly with the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) a leaflet on card safety which includes a section on using cards safely over the internet. The leaflet has been sent to all police forces in England and Wales, and to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. It is also available on the Home Office website and the e-tailing mini site, and APACS members (banks) will be sending a version of the leaflet to their cardholders.
	The Home Office is represented on an industry-led steering group which aims to tackle 'Card Not Present' (CNP) fraud (which includes fraud over the internet). We support practical measures being introduced by the industry to increase levels of security for internet transactions. These include Address Verification Services (AVS) and Card Security Code (CSC), along with Mastercard Secure Code and Verified by Visa which require password verification for internet transactions. These initiatives are already making a significant impact on CNP fraud.
	The work of the CNP steering group has also led to the production of a manual (Spot and Stop Card Fraud Retailer Pack) which aims to educate merchants on the dangers of CNP fraud and the steps which can be taken to prevent it.
	Government are also involved in the development of Project Endurance, an initiative aimed at launching an internet security awareness campaign in 2005. The project brings together a number of UK Government Departments and law enforcement organisations with a number of high-profile private sector companies. This campaign is to be targeted at micro businesses and consumers, primarily aimed at helping these users gain confidence in using the internet.

Dangerous Driving

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the steps he has taken to strengthen the punishments available to courts when dealing with people who have caused death by bad driving.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 21 October 2004
	We have increased the maximum penalties for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs from 10 to 14 years imprisonment, and for aggravated vehicle taking where a death occurs from five years to 14 years imprisonment. The new maximum penalties for these offences were introduced in the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and apply to all offences committed on or after 27 February 2004.

Departmental Estate

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004; and what the (A) area and (B) annual rental value (1) in aggregate and (2) in each case was in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 November 2004
	The addresses of Home Office properties are not disclosed for national and personal security reasons.
	The non-agency part of my Department currently occupies 1,498 properties which have a combined floor area of 773,357 square metres. Home Office agencies occupy 605 properties which have a combined floor area of 3,606,948 square metres.
	The figures exclude premises that are held under service agreements and those where costs are shared with other Government Departments where the other Department pays the rent. The total number of properties figure includes leased residential accommodation but as the floor areas of this type of property are not known residential floor area figures have been excluded.
	A rental valuation of the estate has not been undertaken. Historic records in respect of earlier years are not kept.

Departmental IT

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in place to raise this level.

Fiona Mactaggart: The choice of software to meet the business needs of the Home Office largely rests with our contracted strategic ISIT suppliers who include the consideration of open source solutions on a level basis with proprietary software in accordance with the Governments open source software police, which would include a test to ensure value for money. The Governments policy on open source is available on www.govtalk.gov.uk.
	Current suppliers to the Home Office are not known to extensively use, or have plans for implementing, open source software. None of the major non-PFI delivered projects utilise open source software.
	However within parts of the Home Office, where they no longer operate under PFI arrangements for IT there is a greater degree of choice over the software used e.g. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate intend to trial Linux solutions in a research and development area, as well as such things as Open Office, Apache, Tomcat, Mozilla.

Departmental Offices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of the London offices of the Department was in each of the last four years.

Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis) on 15 July 2004, Official Report, column 583W.

Departmental Publications

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's target is for the interval between publication of (a) departmental announcements and documents and (b) material published by public bodies for which his Department has oversight and their posting online; and what the average interval was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office seeks, wherever possible, to ensure that publication on the internet is simultaneous with publication in other media.
	In doing so, the Department follows guidance contained in section 2.2 of the Guidance for UK Government Websites available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/e-government/webguidelines.
	The Department does not keep statistics on typical intervals between publication and posting online, nor do we hold information about the operation of agency and non-departmental public body websites.

Departmental Publications (Access)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of publications issued by his Department are available in (a) Braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large print and (d) easy read format.

Fiona Mactaggart: All Publications produced by the Home Office are readily made available in these formats on request as this has proved to be the most cost-effective approach.
	If publications relate directly to people with disabilities then these formats would be produced as a matter of course.
	Publications produced this year in alternative formats:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Braille 15 
			 Large print 4 
			 Audio tape/CD 4 
			 Easy read format(48)  
		
	
	(48) All publications are produced in plain English.
	4.25 per cent. of publications are currently produced in these formats (demand is low).
	The Home Office follows the good practice guidelines included in a range of central guidance including: Let's Make it Accessible (improving government information for disabled people); The Informability Manual, and Guidelines for UK Government Websites (illustrated handbook for web management teams).

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the staff of the Department in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 were people with disabilities.

Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 619W.

Detention Centres

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the detention centres in England and Wales.

Des Browne: Section 66 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 changed the name of detention centres to removal centres. There are nine immigration removal centres in England and one in Scotland. There are no immigration removal centres in Wales. The following table lists immigration removal centres and indicates their location:
	
		
			 Centre Location 
		
		
			 Campsfield Oxfordshire 
			 Colnbrook Heathrow 
			 Dover Dover 
			 Dungavel Strathaven, South Lanarkshire 
			 Harmondsworth Heathrow 
			 Haslar Gosport, Hampshire 
			 Lindholme Doncaster 
			 Oakington Cambridgeshire 
			 Tinsley House Gatwick 
			 Yarl's Wood Bedfordshire

Domestic Violence

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government are taking to tackle domestic violence in North Yorkshire; and how many convictions for domestic violence there have been in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: As part of a three-year funding package from November 2003 to March 2006, the Home Office has allocated 230,000 to North Yorkshire, spread evenly between the eight Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), to improve local responses to tackling domestic violence.
	The eight CDRPs in North Yorkshire work closely with each other and with North Yorkshire police and have formed the North Yorkshire Domestic Abuse Initiative which employs four full-time domestic abuse co-ordinators. In addition, the North Yorkshire Domestic Abuse Strategy has just completed its initial consultation stage.
	There is no specific offence of domestic violence, but we are currently working with the Crown Prosecution Service to develop a new performance indicator for tracking domestic violence cases.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it has taken, on average, to reach the first positive decision for applications under the domestic violence rule.

Des Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate is responsible for considering applications for indefinite leave to remain from victims of domestic violence using special provisions under the Immigration Rules. Information on the average length of time to reach the first positive decision in these applications is not currently available.
	Information on immigration applications is published annually in the Command Paper Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom. The next publication covering 2003 was published on 16 November 2004 on the Home Office Research and Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Drunk Driving

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for drunk driving resulted in a custodial sentence by courts in the Greater London area in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on convictions and custodial sentences for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs 1998 to 2002 is given in the table. Data for 2003 will be available early in 2005.
	
		Findings of guilt and immediate custodial sentences at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs within Greater London(49) 19982002
		
			 Number of offences 
			  Findings of guilt Immediate custody(50) 
		
		
			 1998 14,190 1,059 
			 1999 12,650 843 
			 2000 11,963 895 
			 2001 11,422 938 
			 2002 13,126 939 
		
	
	(49) Metropolitan and City of London police force areas combined.
	(50) Immediate custody includes sentences of secure training order, detention and training order, young offender institution and unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.

Driving Offences

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs in each of the last five year had a previous conviction for the same offence.

Caroline Flint: I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso) on 14 October 2004.

Drug Abuse Treatment

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been allocated to the treatment of drug abuse among offenders in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Total community treatment budgets, comprising ring-fenced and local funds, that benefit problematic drug users with a history of offending are estimated as follows:
	
		 million
		
			  Allocation 
		
		
			 200102 287 
			 200203 322 
			 200304 436 
			 200405 (51)457 
			 200506 (51)508 
		
	
	(51) Estimated
	Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs), which are community sentences with a drug treatment requirement, have been allocated the following funding:
	
		 million
		
			  Allocation 
		
		
			 200001(52) 20 
			 200102 40 
			 200203 36 
			 200304 53.7 
			 200405 76 
		
	
	(52) Six months only
	In addition, Her Majesty's Prison Services also fund the treatment of drug misusers in prison.
	Of further note, the Drug Intervention Programme (formerly known as the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme) provides improved access to treatment for drug misusing offenders, as well as supporting their positive reintegration into society. The following table shows the estimated annual central funding figures for the programme:
	
		Criminal Justice Interventions Programme: Funding
		
			  million 
		
		
			 200304(53) 55 
			 200405(54) 188 
			 200506(55) 250 
		
	
	(53) Estimated out-turn
	(54) Estimated figure
	(55) Provisional allocation
	Note:
	This does not include some of the resources used by local partnerships to assist in delivering the programme.

EU Visitors (Northern Ireland)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the change in number of citizens from EU accession countries travelling to Northern Ireland since the expansion of the European Union in May.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mrs. Iris Robinson, dated 16 November 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the change in number of citizens from EU Accession Countries travelling to Northern Ireland since the expansion of the EU in May. I am replying in his absence. (197612)
	Visits to the UK by overseas residents are estimated from data collected on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The survey is conducted at major airports, and on major sea and tunnel routes, and the data collected is weighted up to national passenger figures provided by the Civil Aviation Authority, British Airports Authority, Department for Transport, Eurotunnel and Eurostar. Although this provides estimates of visits to the UK, it should be noted that interviewing is not carried out in Northern Ireland.
	Because of the small number of interviews carried out with nationals of the EU Accession Countries, as well as the factor that interviewing is not carried out in Northern Ireland, the IPS is unable to provide reliable information for visits to Northern Ireland by nationals of the EU Accession Countries.

Drug Seizures

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what quantity of illegal drugs were seized by the police in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The quantity of illegal drugs seized by the police in 1997 and 2002 is detailed in the table. The 2002 data is currently the latest published data.
	
		Table 1: Seizures of controlled drugs made by the police and other authority(56) by drug type and amount seized.United Kingdom
		
			  1997 2002 
			 Drug type Total number of weighed seizures Total (kgs) Total number of weighed seizures Total (kgs) 
		
		
			 Total seizures 733, 150  131,600  
			 Class A drugs (weighed) 
			 Cocaine 3,068 279 5,240 222 
			 Crack 1,738 31 4,230 44 
			 Heroin 12,311 489 15,270 1,689 
			 Methadone 1,564 116 850 60 
			 Morphine 131 0 130 2 
			  
			 Class B drugs (weighed) 
			 Amphetamines 18,429 2,361 6,920 818 
			 Cannabis (herbal) 25,703 8,290 38,360 3,964 
			 Cannabis resin 77,111 64,824 61,690 11,234 
			  
			 Class C drugs (weighed) 2,508 13 3,030 28 
			  
			 Class A drugs (unweighed) 
			 LSD(57) 831 (57)162 50 (57)5 
			 Ecstasy-type(57) 4,996 (57)464 8,210 (57)1,062 
			  
			 Class B drugs (unweighed) 
			 Cannabis plants(58) 3,783 (58)114,948 2,440 (58)57,049 
		
	
	(56) Seizures from joint operations involving H M Customs and Excise and the police are generally recorded against H M Customs and Excise.
	(57) Seizures of LSD and Ecstasy-type are in thousands of doses. These include dots, tablets and squares.
	(58) Number of plants.
	Note:
	Quantity seized divided by the number of seizures where the quantity seized was not unknown.
	Source:
	Home Office Statistical Bulletins on Drug Seizures and Offender statistics

Extradition

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests are pending for extradition of United Kingdom citizens (a) to the United States and (b) from the United States to the United Kingdom.

Caroline Flint: As at 25 October 2004, there are 21 British citizens who are the subject of US requests for their extradition from the UK to the US, whose cases have been placed before the courts. These figures include some British citizens who are dual nationals. We do not have complete information on nationality for outgoing requests but there are eight UK requests pending for extradition of persons from the US to the UK.

Extradition

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many requests for extradition of United Kingdom citizens were made by the Government to the United States Administration in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004 to date; for what reason the extradition was sought; how many of these requests have been granted to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many requests for extradition of United Kingdom citizens were made by the United States to the United Kingdom in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004 to date; how many of these requests for extradition have been granted to date; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We do not retain records of nationality or of the types of offences after cases are closed. I therefore set out, for those years, the total number of requests made by the US which resulted in arrests for extradition from the UK to the US, as follows:
	
		
			  Individuals 
		
		
			 2001 14 
			 2002 8 
			 2003 9 
			 2004 (to date) 18 
		
	
	Because extradition cases are of varying duration, those returned to the US in those years are not necessarily the same individuals as those who were the subjects of the above requests. The total numbers returned, of all nationalities, are as follows:
	
		
			  Individuals 
		
		
			 2001 8 
			 2002 12 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 (to date) 6

Extradition

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests have been made by the United States Administration to the United Kingdom for extradition of British citizens since the Government introduced the existing extradition laws; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Since the introduction of the Extradition Act 2003 the US has requested the extradition of 12 British citizens, whose cases have been placed before the courts.

Extradition

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many United Kingdom citizens who are subject to extradition orders have consented to their removal to the United States; and how many of these requests have been granted in each of the last four years.

Caroline Flint: We do not retain records of nationality after cases are closed, two individuals have consented to their extradition to the US in the last four years.

Extradition

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the United States Administration on ensuring that British citizens extradited to the United States are not subject to the death penalty; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Whenever the UK receives an extradition request from the United States, or any other country, where the subject of the request has been, will be, or could be sentenced to death, extradition will not be ordered unless the Secretary of State receives strict written assurances from the requesting state that the death sentence, if imposed, would not be carried out.

Failed Asylum Seekers

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers are receiving sector 4 support; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The most recent information shows that 869 unsuccessful asylum seekers are in receipt of section 4 support.

Falun Gong

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many known members of the Falun Gong movement have applied for asylum in each of the last four years; how many of these have had their application rejected; and how many are still awaiting a decision.

Des Browne: Applications for asylum in the UK are collated and published by nationality, and are made in the UK rather than from abroad. The available data do not include breakdowns by religion or membership of specific groups, which would not necessarily be reliable even if such information were collated.
	Information on asylum applications is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Foreign Agencies

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether foreign agencies are entitled to raid UK premises (a) with and (b) without his Department's authorisation.

Caroline Flint: No foreign agencies are entitled to act in the UK without prior authorisation from the appropriate Government Department. Any acts requiring search of premises and seizure of property in connection with a foreign enquiry could only be carried out by UK law enforcement agencies under strict legal criteria pursuant to the Crime (International Co-operation) Act 2003 and the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

Gurkhas

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on UK citizenship for the Gurkhas.

Des Browne: My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary announced on 30 September a change in policy for Gurkhas and other non-British members of the British Armed Forces which will enable them to apply for settlement in the UK on discharge from the Armed Forces. This will in turn provide an avenue for naturalisation as a British citizen. This new policy on settlement was implemented by an amendment to the Immigration Rules which took effect on 25 October. Officials are now considering citizenship applications made by people granted settlement under the new rules.

Horse Passports

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions he has issued to police forces with reference to the enforcement of the horse passport regulations.

Alun Michael: I have been asked to reply.
	The Food Standards Agency will be responsible for enforcing the checks carried out at slaughterhouses, while local authorities (in particular trading standards departments) will be responsible for enforcing the law elsewhere. We have not issued any instructions to police forces regarding enforcement of the horse passport regulations.

Identity Cards

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated costs are of introducing a national identity card, broken down by (a) installing computer systems and software, (b) issuing cards and (c) running costs.

Des Browne: Set up costs for the first three years have been estimated at 186 million. Costs thereafter will be covered by charges. It would not be appropriate to publish more detailed information while we prepare options for procurement and implementation of the identity cards scheme.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that legislation to provide for identity cards will give primacy to the privacy provisions of the Gender Recognition Bill.

Des Browne: Section 22 of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 sets out how information relating to a person's application for a gender recognition certificate or about the gender history of a successful applicant, is to be protected. Subsection (4) sets out the exceptions to the general prohibition on disclosure of such information, including where this information is disclosed in accordance with any provision of an enactment other than this section.
	The draft Identity Cards Bill establishes to whom information may be disclosed and creates a specific offence of unauthorised disclosure of information (at clause 29). Clause 24 of the draft Bill sets out the rules to be followed when information is disclosed from the National Identity Register. During the consultation on the draft Bill, we have discussed this clause and other provisions of the Bill with interested parties and it is our view that these rules are consistent with the provisions of the Gender Recognition Act.

Identity Cards

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department what consultation he has undertaken regarding the right of privacy in relation to the identity card scheme.

Des Browne: The Government have undertaken two formal consultations on its proposals for an identity cards scheme, and on draft legislation. In addition officials have had several meetings with officials from the Office of the Information Commissioner and with other interested parties.
	The identity cards scheme will be covered by the Data Protection Act 1998 and will comply with the data protection principles set out at Schedule 1 of that Act. This will include the right of people to check the information recorded about them subject to exemptions set out in the Data Protection Act eg in cases of national security. The draft Bill sets clear limitations on the information which can be held on the scheme and requires the consent of a card holder before a check is made except in limited, specified circumstances such as checks by the police when a person has been arrested.

Identity Cards

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with IT companies on providing services for the identity card project.

Des Browne: The Identity Cards Programme has met a range of companies, including those in the IT sector, as part of its market sounding activities. Market sounding is the process of assessing the reaction of the market (that is, all potential suppliers considered collectively) to a proposed requirement and procurement approach , and is recognised as best practice in Government procurement.
	Priority for market sounding to date has been given particularly to the smartcard and biometric sectors where the technology is developing quickly, standards are evolving and there is uncertainty about future trends. Seminars targeted at the IT sector have been run in conjunction with Intellect, the trade body for the UK based information technology, telecommunications and electronics industry and other events are being planned to address the wider requirements of the programme.
	Market sounding focuses on suppliers as a whole, rather than the merits of individual suppliers. It includes no element of supplier selection (choosing suitable suppliers) or bid evaluation (looking at proposals, technical solutions or prices). There is no commitment of any kind involvedon either side nor any advantage to be gained by a supplier by getting involved. Further it is stressed that there is no formal procurement underway at the moment.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports were recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen in the London area in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Des Browne: On 8 December 2003 the UK Passport Service implemented a new reporting procedure and database for passports which are lost and stolen, and for those which are subsequently recovered.
	The total number of passports recorded as lost or stolen for the period 8 December 2003 to date is 277,421 and the recovered total is 25,456. Of these 25,898 were reported as lost and stolen in the London area and 4,398 as recovered.

Illegal Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the numbers of illegal entries to the UK by (a) rail, (b) sea and (c) air in each of the last three years.

Des Browne: Information on the ports at which illegal entry is detected is not held centrally and would only be available by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for The Home Department what the Government's policy is on how the EU can further develop its policy to fight illegal immigration.

Des Browne: The Government supports work that adds value to the efforts of member states in tackling illegal immigration, an approach we have advocated throughout the on-going negotiations of the new five-year work programme on Justice and Home Affairs.
	In the context of these negotiations the UK wants to see: effective exchange of information between all member states; the incorporation of biometrics into visas and EU nationals' passports; and the establishment of the European Border Agency which will take forward high quality risk analysis and co-ordination of member states joint action at the EU external borders. Together these different work strands will enable the EU to adopt a more intelligence-led, outcome focused policy towards managing the external border and combating illegal immigration.
	The UK supports the continuing need to work in partnership with third countries to improve the management of migratory flows, addressing the factors that encourage or force people to leave their countries and preventing illegal immigration, including people smuggling and trafficking. This requires a coherent and comprehensive approach, working with source and transit countries and EU and bilateral action.
	While we are largely supportive of the way in which EU illegal immigration policy is developing, we do not believe that a case has been made for the need for a European Border Guard. We believe that member states should remain responsible for managing their own borders.

Illegal Immigration

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use the UK makes of the secure web-based platform set up by the EU Commission to assist member states' migration management and to exchange strategic, tactical and operational information concerning illegal migration.

Des Browne: The UK has participated actively in the development of the secure web-based platform set up by the EU Commission to assist member states' migration management and to exchange strategic, tactical and operational information concerning illegal migrationcommonly known as the ICONet. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate Intelligence Service, among others, was asked by the Commission to trial the system. At the moment it cannot handle classified material but the development anticipates that eventually messages up to a Restricted level of classification will be handled.
	The system allows member states (MS) to notify events such as large scale migration, movements of suspect ships and other information to combat illegal immigration. The system does not permit the exchange of nominal data. Once the information is received it is assessed for intelligence value and then handled according to the Association of Chief Police Officers' standards for intelligence material and disseminated if appropriate. The UK is working with the Commission and other MS to fully develop the ICONet as an important resource to combat abuse.

Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suspected sham marriages have been reported to his Department by registrars in each of the last 24 months; how many prosecutions have been brought; how many convictions have been obtained; and what penalties have been imposed.

Des Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate has received the following notifications of alleged sham marriages from Register Offices in the last 24 months:
	
		
			  2004 2003 2002 
		
		
			 Jan 364 110  
			 Feb 420 159  
			 Mar 458 210  
			 Apr 386 201  
			 May 329 176  
			 Jun 317 195  
			 Jul 239 242  
			 Aug 212 172  
			 Sep 249 260  
			 Oct  259 171 
			 Nov  323 140 
			 Dec  377 127 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide a monthly breakdown of results for previous activity to counter marriage abuse as such information has only recently started to be recorded in an easily collated format. However, since April 2002, enforcement teams in London have undertaken a number of operations in respect of marriage abuse with over 240 arrests and over 110 individuals charged with a range of offences, including perjury, deception and conspiracy to defraud the Secretary of State. Sentences passed on individuals taking part in sham marriages have ranged from six to 24 months. In addition, those criminals responsible for organising these marriages have received sentences in excess of 18 months.
	The Government are introducing a number of additional measures to protect the integrity of UK marriage ceremonies. These include establishing a joint team of caseworkers and immigration officers to analyse intelligence and follow up reports from Registrars more effectively. In addition, a joint working group between the Home Office and Registrars has been established to share intelligence and enable enforcement efforts to be better targeted.
	Legislation has also been introduced to restrict the capacity to authorise marriage involving non-EEA nationals to designated register offices, which will enable us to focus our enforcement efforts into a more concentrated area, and also allow intelligence and expertise on marriage abuse to be built up in these dedicated centres. In addition, a new pre-marriage lawful status eligibility requirement will be introduced for marriages involving non-EEA foreign nationals to further deal with those seeking to circumvent immigration controls by entering into sham marriages. This would give registrars the power to refuse to accept notification of marriage in the absence of a document from the Home Office or an entry clearance for marriage.

Immigration

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to publish the amended eligibility criteria in relation to the one-off exercise to allow families who have been here for at least three years to stay launched in 2003; and whether he plans to extend the deadline for applications beyond 31 December.

Des Browne: I wrote to right hon. and hon. Members on 19 August and the eligibility criteria are published on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk). I will place a copy of the criteria in the Libraries of the House. I have no plans to extend the closing date for applications beyond 31 December 2004. Anyone who thinks they may be eligible should contact the Home Office at PO Box 1541, Croydon CR9 2YS as soon as possible and no later than that date.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Des Browne: As of 30 June 2004, there were 14,501 full-time equivalent staff employed at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Immigration Controls

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to reintroduce embarkation controls from non-EU countries.

Des Browne: The Government announced on 28 September that as part of its ambitious long-term e-Borders programme Project Semaphore, the first stage, would be under way by the end of this year. This pilot scheme will use on-line technology and advance passenger information provided by airlines to screen and record individuals as they enter and leave the UK. It is proposed that the e-Borders programme will provide a modern, high-tech replacement for the outdated paper embarkation controls.

Immigration Detention Centres (Chaplaincy Services)

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision has been made to provide full chaplaincy services at immigration detention centres; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 26 October 2004
	In accordance with the detention centre rules 2001 every immigration removal centre must appoint a manager of religious affairs. The religious affairs manager's task is to facilitate religious observance and the provision of pastoral care for detained persons with the assistance of suitably qualified staff, including ministers of religion. An operating standard on religion, which sets out the minimum requirements expected of removal centres in relation to religious affairs, was issued to all removal centre operators in December 2002. The performance of the religious affairs office in each removal centre is monitored continually.

Immigration Officers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers were recruited in each of the last 10 years.

Des Browne: The number of immigration officers recruited in each of the last 10 years is:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1995 95 
			 1996 31 
			 1997 2 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 50 
			 2000 257 
			 2001 417 
			 2002 417 
			 2003 289 
			 2004(59) 135 
		
	
	(59) To 26 May only.
	These figures do not include serving staff who moved into the IO grade as a result of transfer or promotion.

Indefinite Leave to Enter

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times he has exercised his discretion on compassionate grounds and granted indefinite leave to enter in 2004.

Des Browne: Data on the number of persons granted indefinite leave to enter the UK on compassionate grounds is not available.
	Since December 2003 persons seeking leave to enter at a port for stays of more than six months are required to hold a United Kingdom Residence Permit. It is not possible to say how many of those were granted on compassionate grounds.
	There is no power of discretion to grant leave to enter for more than six months at a port of entry.

John Lennon Airport

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of immigration controls at John Lennon airport, Liverpool.

Des Browne: Since Liverpool airport has been in operation immigration officers have routinely attended all flights. All arriving passengers are examined by an immigration officer and those subject to control will have their details checked against the Warnings Index (a database of known immigration offenders). Local managers monitor flight schedules on a regular basis and adjust staffing rotas to ensure adequate coverage at all times and in accordance with risk assessment.
	Furthermore there are a range of measures in place to stop inadequately documented passengers arriving in the UK. These include an informed and robust visa strategy; a network of airline liaison officers posted abroad; close co-operation with carriers, port authorities and our EU colleagues.

Knife Crimes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to prevent under-aged children from purchasing knives on the internet.

Caroline Flint: It in an offence to sell a knife to a person under the age of 16. It is the responsibility of the company selling the knife to ensure that the person is over 16. It is for the police to prosecute those companies who breach the law.

Lord Chief Justice

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the Lord Chief Justice; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary has regular meetings with the Lord Chief Justice. He last met the Lord Chief Justice on 5 May 2004, and has spoken to him on a number of occasions since then.

Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Fiona Mactaggart: Records on mobile telephony are not held centrally and in order to obtain information would incur disproportionate costs. I can, however, provide information on mobile phones and associated equipment purchased via our Central Procurement unit since 1997, which is as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 1997 175.00 
			 1998 5,516.16 
			 1999 163,933.83 
			 2000 146,201.48 
			 2002 64,750.00 
			 2003 78,018.22 
		
	
	Information is not held centrally on call and line rental charges and could be provided, again, only at disproportionate cost.

NGOs

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to ensure that where a non-governmental organisation is supported by a charitable trust there is a clear separation between the two organisations.

Fiona Mactaggart: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Director of Policy and Strategy at the Charity Commission will write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.

NGOs

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what guidance is given to non-governmental organisations on creating clear separation between charitable trust and campaigning activity;
	(2)  how the Charity Commission ensures that non-governmental organisations with charitable status comply with the relevant regulations.

Fiona Mactaggart: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The director of policy and strategy at the Charity Commission will write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.

Night Clubs

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the criteria are for the granting of licences to night clubs; and whether the location of CCTV cameras are taken into account by licensing authorities.

Richard Caborn: I have been asked to reply.
	For a nightclub to trade under current law, a licence for the provision of alcohol and a special hours certificate must be obtained from the licensing justices and a music and dancing certificate of suitability from the local authority. For a club to be granted a liquor licence and a special hours certificate, the justices must be satisfied that the applicant is a fit and proper person, and that the whole or any part of the premises is structurally adapted, and bona fide used or intended to be used, for providing members with music and dancing and substantial refreshment to which the supply of intoxicating liquor is ancillary. Conditions may be attached to these permissions in appropriate circumstances, including those which require the use of CCTV cameras on or outside the premises, by either the licensing justices or the local authority.

Offender Management

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the number of (a) male high security, (b) male category B, (c) male category C, (d) male category D, (e) male local, (f) male remand, (g) female local, (h) female closed, (i) female open, (j) male closed young offender institutions and (k) male open young offender institutions juvenile places that will be required in each of the 10 areas under the new National Offender Management Service structure in each of the next five years.

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will, in the immediate future, continue to plan its requirement for prison capacity for all categories of prisoner on a national basis, taking account of suitable regimes and factors such as closeness to home.
	In due course NOMS will move towards a regional framework, with Regional Offender Managers commissioning places according to local need. Planning for some aspects of the prison estate, such as the accommodation for high security category A prisoners will, however, remain co-ordinated centrally.

Offender Assessment

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in encouraging the Prison Service and Probation Service to share data relating to the Offender Assessment System needs assessment.

Paul Goggins: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) was developed for use in both the National Probation Service and the Prison Service. There are clear benefits in having a common tool.
	When the two services' OASys IT systems are connected to one another next year it will be possible to pass completed assessments electronically between them, quickly and securely. Until then staff are expected to send assessments in hard copy and have been reminded of this by the National Probation Directorate and Prison Service Headquarters.

Overseas Corruption

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of overseas corruption on the register held by the National Criminal Intelligence Service relate to offences that occurred prior to February 2002.

Caroline Flint: There were eight allegations of overseas corruption on the register held by the National Criminal Intelligence Service that related to offences that occurred prior to February 2002.

Overseas Corruption Offences

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations there are on the register of allegations of overseas corruption offences.

Caroline Flint: The National Criminal Intelligence Service has 37 allegations
	on the register of allegations of overseas corruption offences.

Overseas Corruption Offences

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the allegations on the register of allegations of overseas corruption offences have come from (a) Africa, (b) Central and South America, (c) North America, (d) Asia, (e) Western Europe, (f) Eastern Europe, (g) Russia and the former Soviet Republics and (h) the Middle East.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  
		
		
			 (a) Africa 14 
			 (b) Central and South America 4 
			 (c) North America 2 
			 (d) Asia 3 
			 (e) Western Europe 8 
			 (f) Eastern Europe 1 
			 (g) Russia and the former Soviet Republics 0 
			 (h) Middle East 4

Passport Control

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the current time taken for British passport holders to pass through passport control at Heathrow Terminal One.

Des Browne: The UK Immigration Service is committed to clearing bona fide passengers with minimal delay while ensuring immigration controls remain robust. It has set standards for passenger processing times, which comply with international standards, although there is no specific measurement of the time take to clear British passport holders of Heathrow Terminal 1. These standards are embedded in the UK Immigration Service's annual business objectives, and are kept under regular review.
	The UK Immigration Service's performance is also measured independently by the British Airports Authority, which includes queuing times. The Immigration Service including Terminal 1 continues to score well against this measure and performance is at a comparable level compared to 12 months ago.

Passport Control

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to ensure that British passport holders returning to the UK are dealt with (a) effectively and (b) efficiently at passport control points.

Des Browne: The passports of British nationals are subject to examination at ports of entry. While we are committed to fulfilling our obligations to process British nationals without delay, the security of our borders is a priority and it is imperative that effective controls are in place so that criminality and illegal migration are identified and appropriate action taken.
	The majority of international travellers will understand the benefits of the examination of British passports. To reduce impact on queuing times we are negotiating with port operators to develop flexible queuing systems wherever possible. Ports managers have been advised to respond quickly by deploying additional staff if significant queues develop and to make themselves accessible to passengers to explain why such levels of examination are necessary.

Passports

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to ensure that, where it is known to the Passport Agency that passport applications and accompanying documents are lost or stolen, these are not used to make false applications or acquire false identities.

Des Browne: If the UK Passport Service (UKPS) becomes aware of the loss or theft of a passport application and supporting documents, the details of the passport application and documents submitted are recorded. For each application this record is checked as part of the systems the UKPS has in place to authenticate a passport applicant's identity. These arrangements should ensure that false applications are identified, and that passports are not issued in false identities.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces have case custody computer systems; and what steps are being taken to increase this number.

Caroline Flint: Custody and case preparation systems are designed to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency in police forces in the processing and handling of arrests. The case preparation system provides other criminal justice organisations with accurate, timely, data that meets the needs of victims, witnesses and other criminal justice organisations. Once implemented the system has the ability to deliver business benefit to both the police service and other criminal justice organisations.
	Currently nine police forces are using the National Strategy for Police Information Systems (NSPIS) developed custody application and 11 are using the case preparation application. A number of other forces are using in-house legacy or off-the-shelf systems for one or both these functions.
	The Police Information Technology Organisation plans to have at least 20 forces working operationally with NSPIS custody and a further 20 with NSPIS case preparation this financial year. Other forces should have custody and case applications in place by 31 March 2006.
	Forces are being encouraged to take these applications by a number of means and we are working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers to ensure that the police service has systems that will join up with the rest of the criminal justice system.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to monitor the revised guidance issued by the (a) Press Complaints Commission and (b) Association of Chief Police Officers' guidelines on anonymity for individuals who are under investigation but have not been charged.

Paul Goggins: The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Sexual Offending will examine the impact of the revised guidance after May 2005, when the Sexual Offences Act 2003 will have been in operation for 12 months.

Police

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the use of arresting officers in progressing arrests to charge; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The processing of an arrest can result in a significant amount of administrative paperwork for the arresting officer, leading to their abstraction from front line duties.
	We are determined to reduce unnecessary paperwork and bureaucracy in the police service. There are a number of projects under way to assist and encourage forces to release police officers from tasks where their powers and training are not required, to increase the time spent on the frontline, and specifically on patrol by police officers.
	As part of a range of work funded by the Workforce Modernisation Implementation Fund, Northumbria, Wiltshire and Lincolnshire police are actively piloting models utilising police staff investigators, case builders and other supporting roles. These pilots will support police officers as part of integrated criminal justice management process, following arrests being made.
	The processing of an arrest, and the associated functions of criminal justice units within forces, including prisoner handling, case building and investigation, are areas which can be effectively undertaken by police staff and other members of the extended police family.

Polygamous Marriages

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to tackle the problem of unregistered polygamous marriages; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Government policy is to prevent the formation of polygamous households in this country.
	The Immigration Rules do not allow entry clearance to be granted to the wife of a man if:
	the marriage is polygamous; and
	there is another woman already living as the wife of the man in the UK.

Prison Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the results of the DORE Achievement Centres and dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit treatment programme with the Prison Service in Stafford; and what plans he has to extend the programme to other prisons.

Paul Goggins: The results of the programme run at Stafford prison are encouraging, albeit on the basis of a very small sample.
	The research raises some complex issues and needs a co-ordinated approach to further development involving health, physical education and education providers. I have asked those responsible for the DORE programme to discuss their work further with the Prison Service.

Prison Service

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the real terms change in total spending for the Prison Service was in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: The real term changes in total spending for the Prison Service over the last 10 years are given in the following table.
	
		Prison service budget
		
			   million Real terms  million 200304 prices Year on year increase (percentage) Deflators: Index 200304=100 
		
		
			 199495 1,597.900 2,019.463  79.125 
			 199596 1,666.900 2,047.311 1.4 81.419 
			 199697 1,608.600 1,911.655 -6.6 84.147 
			 199798 1,740.800 2,016.986 5.5 86.307 
			 199899 1,812.100 2,040.791 1.2 88.794 
			 19992000 1,846.400 2,035.049 -0.3 90.730 
			 200001 1,909.360 2,080.298 2.2 91.783 
			 200102 2,452.783 2,606.017 25.3 94.120 
			 200203 2,636.572 2,710.097 4.0 97.287 
			 200304 2,361.573 2,361.573 -12.9 100.000 
			 200405 2,486.074 2,429.990 2.9 102.308 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. These are figures for the Prison Service.
	2. Please note that from 200102 onwards figures are on accruals basis. Figures are cash prior to that.
	3. Note also that from 200304 onwards the figures reflect transfers of functions and funding to Correctional Services/NOMS, including private prisons.

Prison Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publish a business case in respect of contestability plans for the probation and prison services.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 25 October 2004
	The case for the establishment of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is outlined in Patrick Carter's independent report Managing OffendersReducing Crime. The draft detailed business case will be presented to the NOMS Programme Board shortly.

Prisoners (Employment)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his latest estimate is of how many hours on average per week a prisoner serving a sentence in a London prison spends in employment; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Prisoners in London establishments spend an average of 9.7 hours a week engaged in work related purposeful activity. The Prison Service continues to provide work opportunities for as many prisoners as possible. The figure is an average for all prisoners in London establishments. These establishments are mainly local prisons which serve the courts, and contain a high proportion of remand prisoners. As remand prisoners are not obliged to undertake work, their numbers bring down the overall average of work related hours. Additionally, local prisons are most likely to experience high levels of overcrowding and the amount of work available for each prisoner will naturally diminish as the population increases.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of (a) male and (b) female prisoners have (i) self-harmed, (ii) attempted suicide and (iii) committed suicide while in prison in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The numbers and percentages of individuals who self-harmed or apparently took their own lives in prisons (19992003), are included in the following tables. While the new self-harm reporting system which started in 2003 has improved the consistency with which such incidents are reported, and improved the detail and quality of the information collected, it makes meaningful comparisons across time more difficult.
	
		Table 1: Numbers and proportions of male self-inflicted deaths and self-harm
		
			  Male Prison population Numbers of male self-inflicted deaths Percentage of males who killed themselves Numbers of males who harmed themselves Percentage of males who harmed themselves 
		
		
			 1999 61,523 86 0.14 2,569 4 
			 2000 61,252 73 0.12 2,922 5 
			 2001 62,560 67 0.11 3,510 6 
			 2002 66,479 86 0.13 3,485 5 
			 2003 68,612 80 0.12   
		
	
	
		Table 2: Numbers and proportions of female self-inflicted deaths and self- harm
		
			  Female prison population Number of female self-inflicted deaths Percentage of females who killed themselves Number of females who harmed themselves Percentage of females who harmed themselves 
		
		
			 1999 3,247 5 0.15 296 9 
			 2000 3,350 8 0.24 413 12 
			 2001 3,740 6 0.16 632 17 
			 2002 4,299 9 0.21 904 21 
			 2003 4,425 14 0.32   
		
	
	Note: A new form for reporting self injury (the F213sh) was introduced across the prison estate in December 2002.

Prisons

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change diets in (a) prisons and (b) young offender institutions, following recent studies on the effects of diet on behaviour.

Paul Goggins: In 1996, a study was conducted at Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution (HMYOI) Aylesbury by 'Natural Justice', a research charity investigating the relationship between nutrition and criminal behaviour. They reported a significant reduction in offending behaviour amongst young offenders who had taken nutritional supplements.
	Half of the young men participating received pills containing vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The other half received placebo or dummy pills. The researchers recorded the number and type of offences each of the prisoners committed in the nine months before they received the pills and in the nine months during the trial. They found that the group that received the supplements committed 25 per cent. fewer offences than those who had been given the placebo.
	The results were independently reviewed by the Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) at the Home Office. RDS acknowledged that the results of the study showed a positive effect on behaviour. However, the number of participants involved was small and the study did not follow through to see whether re-offending reduced or continued once the trainees had left the establishment. This made it very difficult to validate wider implications from the results.
	Natural Justice have plans to replicate the project on a much broader scale. Approval was given in October 2002 for Natural Justice to have access to Warren Hill and Stoke Heath if they could satisfy ethical requirements and obtain funding for the research. On similar grounds, the Scottish Prison Service approved access to Polmont.
	Beyond this research, other work is taking place to ensure that individual prisoners are encouraged to eat healthily, and that the food provided is nutritious. A partnership between the catering, education and physical education departments in prisons encourages the promotion of high-starch, fibre-rich foods rather than sugary or processed ones, or those which contain too much salt or sugar.
	Catering staff are provided with training information and the skills required to produce healthy food. The Prison Service runs nutrition-training courses at intermediate level for prison caterers, which lead to a formal qualification from the Royal Institute of Public Health. Some establishments involve the local hospital dietician in their menu planning and some have obtained Healthy Eating Awards (Heartbeat) from their local authorities.
	The content of meals provided in prisons and young offender institutions is constantly evolving with prison caterers being aware of and trained to provide nutritious and healthy diets. Prisoners and young offenders are increasingly being educated and made aware of the importance of healthy eating.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisons offer a 24 hour counselling service; and what the most common reasons are for prisoners using counselling services.

Paul Goggins: The specific information requested is not available. A wide range of counselling and support mechanisms are available to prisoners. Counselling in drug and substance misuse is provided in every prison establishment as part of the Counselling, Assessment, Referral and Treatment (CARAT) programme. Individual establishments also have arrangements for the provision of professional counselling services through both primary care trusts and local voluntary sector providers. Referrals to outside counselling services can be made through psychology, health care, the chaplaincy and mental health in-reach teams.
	In common with arrangements in the community, counselling services are generally provided during normal working hours and not on a 24 hour basis. 24-hour support is, however, normally available to prisoners through listener schemes, whereby prisoners who have been trained by the Samaritans are available to provide emotional support to other prisoners. Prisoners also have access to the Samaritans by telephone.
	By their very nature many counselling and support services operate on a strictly confidential basis. While comprehensive information about the reasons for seeking counselling is not available, the areas covered include physical, emotional and sexual abuse; family issues and relationship problems; suicidal and self-harm tendencies; substance abuse; and offending behaviour.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of transferring the prison health service to the national health service on prisoners reporting historical sex abuse.

Paul Goggins: No such assessment has been made. We expect all prisoners to benefit from the transfer of responsibility for prison health services to the national health service (NHS). When completed in 2006, this change will represent another significant step towards giving prisoners access to the same range and quality of health services as the general public receives from the NHS.

Prisons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prison regulations permit visits by the visually impaired to be accompanied by guide dogs.

Paul Goggins: As a service provider, the Prison Service is fully aware of its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act and seeks to ensure it meets the needs of all visitors, including those with disabilities. Visitors accompanied by an assistance dog are welcome at prison establishments and certainly would not be excluded on this basis. However, a reasonable adjustment may need to be made to accommodate the dog and to ensure there is no distraction to patrol or passive drug dogs on site. For this reason, it is advisable that the prison is notified of any special requirements in advance of the visit.

Prisons

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of inmates of each (a) prison and (b) young offenders institution are detained within 50 miles of their homes, broken down by category of prisoners; and what the average (i) stay of inmates and (ii) length of time served by prison officers in each establishment is.

Paul Goggins: The proportion of each prison's population with a home address or committal court address within 50 miles of the establishment is as follows:
	
		
			 Prison Proportion of prison's population held under 50 miles from home area (Percentage) Main prisoner category accommodated at prison 
		
		
			 Acklington 53 C 
			 Albany 18 B 
			 Altcourse 75 A 
			 Ashfield 45 Young Offenders 
			 Ashwell 35 C 
			 Askham Grange 27 Women 
			 Aylesbury 60 Young Offenders 
			 Bedford 85 B 
			 Belmarsh 93 B 
			 Birmingham 94 B 
			 Blakenhurst 93 B 
			 Blantyre House 47 Women 
			 Blundeston 11 C 
			 Brinsford 92 Young Offenders 
			 Bristol 85 B 
			 Brixton 94 B 
			 Brockhill 81 Women 
			 Bronzefield 65 Women 
			 Buckley Hall 39 Women 
			 Bullingdon 66 B 
			 Bullwood Hall 45 Women 
			 Camp Hill 27 C 
			 Canterbury 55 C 
			 Cardiff 84 B 
			 Castington 51 Young Offenders 
			 Channings Wood 21 C 
			 Chelmsford 92 B 
			 Coldingley 82 C 
			 Cookham Wood 70 Women 
			 Dartmoor 25 C 
			 Deerbolt 24 Young Offenders 
			 Doncaster 95 B 
			 Dorchester 72 B 
			 Dovegate 32 B 
			 Downview 79 Women 
			 Drake Hall 40 Women 
			 Durham 69 B 
			 East Sutton Park 77 Women 
			 Eastwood Park 43 Women 
			 Edmunds Hill 36 Women 
			 Elmley 72 B 
			 Erlestoke 37 C 
			 Everthorpe 63 C 
			 Exeter 63 B 
			 Featherstone 89 C 
			 Feltham 86 Young Offenders 
			 Ford 31 D 
			 Forest Bank 93 B 
			 Foston Hall 39 Women 
			 Frankland 26 A 
			 Full Sutton 12 A 
			 Garth 59 B 
			 Gartree 21 B 
			 Glen Parva 74 Young Offenders 
			 Gloucester 89 B 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 32 B 
			 Guys Marsh 35 C 
			 Haverigg 9 C 
			 Hewell Grange 91 D 
			 Highdown 93 B 
			 Highpoint 17 C 
			 Hindley 94 Young Offenders 
			 Hollesley Bay 16 D 
			 Holloway 88 Women 
			 Holme House 88 B 
			 Hull 74 B 
			 Huntercombe 60 Young Offenders 
			 Kingston 10 B 
			 Kirkham 82 D 
			 Kirklevington Grange 45 D 
			 Lancaster 68 C 
			 Lancaster Farms 47 Young Offenders 
			 Latchmere House 85 D 
			 Leeds 94 B 
			 Leicester 80 B 
			 Lewes 79 B 
			 Leyhill 31 D 
			 Lincoln 84 B 
			 Lindholme 62 C 
			 Littlehey 29 C 
			 Liverpool 76 B 
			 Long Lartin 20 A 
			 Low Newton 44 Women 
			 Lowdham Grange 17 Women 
			 Maidstone 83 C 
			 Manchester 91 B 
			 Moorland 71 C 
			 Moorland Open 68 D 
			 Morton Hall 11 Women 
			 Mount 84 C 
			 New Hall 50 Women 
			 North Sea Camp 16 D 
			 Northallerton 36 Young Offenders 
			 Norwich 63 B 
			 Nottingham 91 B 
			 Onley 50 Young Offenders 
			 Parc 72 B 
			 Parkhurst 13 B 
			 Pentonville 96 B 
			 Portland 5 Young Offenders 
			 Preston 90 B 
			 Ranby 72 C 
			 Reading 72 Young Offenders 
			 Risley 80 C 
			 Rochester 88 Young Offenders 
			 Rye Hill 28 B 
			 Send 66 Women 
			 Shepton Mallet 8 C 
			 Shrewsbury 90 B 
			 Stafford 74 C 
			 Standford Hill 43 D 
			 Stocken 61 C 
			 Stoke Heath 70 Young Offenders 
			 Styal 81 Women 
			 Sudbury 50 D 
			 Swaleside 20 B 
			 Swansea 83 B 
			 Swinfen Hall 59 Young Offenders 
			 Thorn Cross 62 Young Offenders 
			 Usk/Prescoed 50 C 
			 Verne 7 C 
			 Wakefield 25 B 
			 Wandsworth 93 B 
			 Warren Hill 14 Young Offenders 
			 Wayland 18 C 
			 Wealstun 56 C 
			 Weare 4 C 
			 Wellingborough 54 C 
			 Werrington 80 Young Offenders 
			 Wetherby 74 Young Offenders 
			 Whatton 40 C 
			 Whitemoor 4 B 
			 Winchester 84 B 
			 Wolds 64 C 
			 Woodhill 84 B 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 91 B 
			 Wymott 74 C 
		
	
	Information on the length of time a prisoner spends at each establishment is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	The average length of time Officer Grade staff spend working at each establishment is given in the following table. Information about prison custody officers at contracted prisons is not held centrally.
	
		
			 Establishment Average length of service of staff at establishment (years) 
		
		
			 Acklington 8.3 
			 Albany 8.3 
			 Ashwell 6.0 
			 Askham Grange 3.0 
			 Aylesbury 4.7 
			 Bedford 5.4 
			 Belmarsh 5.7 
			 Birmingham 5.1 
			 Blakenhurst 5.2 
			 Blantyre House 8.1 
			 Blundeston 7.3 
			 Brinsford 7.1 
			 Bristol 7.0 
			 Brixton 6.8 
			 Brockhill 6.2 
			 Buckley Hall 5.8 
			 Bullingdon 4.6 
			 Bullwood Hall 4.6 
			 Camp Hill 7.6 
			 Canterbury 8.1 
			 Cardiff 5.2 
			 Castington 6.5 
			 Channings Wood 5.6 
			 Chelmsford 5.9 
			 Coldingley 5.1 
			 Cookham Wood 5.1 
			 Dartmoor 6.0 
			 Deerbolt 6.4 
			 Dorchester 4.5 
			 Dover 6.7 
			 Downview 5.0 
			 Drake Hall 3.8 
			 Durham 4.3 
			 East Sutton Park 5.1 
			 Eastwood Park 5.0 
			 Edmunds Hill 1.1 
			 Elmley 5.5 
			 Erlestoke 5.9 
			 Everthorpe 8.2 
			 Exeter 5.1 
			 Featherstone 7.9 
			 Feltham 4.8 
			 Ford 7.8 
			 Foston Hall 3.6 
			 Frankland 7.5 
			 Full Sutton 7.1 
			 Garth 6.9 
			 Gartree 6.7 
			 Glen Parva 9.0 
			 Gloucester 4.8 
			 Grendon 5.5 
			 Guys Marsh 6.3 
			 Haslar 6.5 
			 Haverigg 6.5 
			 Hewell Grange 7.2 
			 High Down 4.6 
			 Highpoint 5.5 
			 Hindley 5.2 
			 Hollesley Bay 6.6 
			 Holloway 4.9 
			 Holme House 8.3 
			 Hull 4.9 
			 Huntercombe 4.0 
			 Kingston 7.9 
			 Kirkham 6.7 
			 Kirklevington Grange 6.4 
			 Lancaster 3.5 
			 Lancaster Farms 7.1 
			 Latch mere House 5.5 
			 Leeds 4.9 
			 Leicester 5.4 
			 Lewes 6.5 
			 Leyhill 2.9 
			 Lincoln 5.0 
			 Lindholme 8.5 
			 Littlehey 6.5 
			 Liverpool 6.4 
			 Long Lartin 5.7 
			 Low Newton 7.0 
			 Maidstone 5.2 
			 Manchester 5.8 
			 Moorland 6.0 
			 Morton Hall 3.6 
			 New Hall 6.2 
			 North Sea Camp 7.3 
			 Northallerton 6.3 
			 Norwich 6.4 
			 Nottingham 3.8 
			 Onley 6.9 
			 Parkhurst 8.2 
			 Pentonville 5.1 
			 Portland 7.3 
			 Preston 5.7 
			 Ranby 6.1 
			 Reading 6.2 
			 Risley 5.5 
			 Rochester 4.9 
			 Send 4.0 
			 Shepton Mallet 6.7 
			 Shrewsbury 6.7 
			 Stafford 3.7 
			 Standford Hill 6.0 
			 Stocken 6.8 
			 Stoke Heath 6.9 
			 Styal 4.8 
			 Sudbury 10.2 
			 Swaleside 4.5 
			 Swansea 4.7 
			 Swinfen Hall 5.5 
			 The Mount 4.8 
			 The Verne 9.4 
			 Thorn Cross 8.9 
			 Usk/Prescoed 8.5 
			 Wakefield 4.4 
			 Wandsworth 5.1 
			 Warren Hill 1.2 
			 Wayland 7.0 
			 Wealstun 7.3 
			 Weare 4.3 
			 Wellingborough 4.3 
			 Werrington 5.3 
			 Wetherby 4.5 
			 Whatton 6.6 
			 Whitemoor 6.2 
			 Winchester 4.1 
			 Woodhill 5.1 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 6.7 
			 Wymott 7.6

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list prison refurbishment projects by establishment that have been undertaken since April 2000; and what the (a) date of completion or projected completion date, (b) cost of the refurbishment and (c) number of places added was in each case.

Paul Goggins: The projects in the following table are those that have been classified as major refurbishment work. Projects classified as maintenance are not included.
	The primary objective of refurbishment projects is to modernise buildings and keep them fit for purpose; they are not as a general rule intended to produce additional places. A small number of places may have been created or taken out of use by individual projects but the net effect on number of places is broadly neutral.
	
		
			 Refurbishment. since April 2000 Project Cost (000) Completion Date 
		
		
			 Ashwell replace buildingsPhase 1 2,980 Sep-00 
			 Ashwell replace buildingsPhase 2 1,859 Oct-01 
			 Ashwell replace buildingsPhase 3 721 Aug-02 
			 Ashwell replace buildingsPhase 4 1,411 Aug-03 
			 Aylesbury refurb/repair B and C Wings 9,337 Mar-05 
			 Camp Hill Ss Edward and Patrick Wings 2,336 Sep-00 
			 Camp Hill Bs.Thomas and James Wings 4,639 Nov-03 
			 Cardiff repairs to F and A Wings 5,876 Jul-04 
			 Durham refurbish B Wing 6,477 Mar-03 
			 Durham refurbish D and E Wings 8,017 Aug-05 
			 Gartree refurbish A Wing/Gate entry 3,215 May-02 
			 Gartree C WingPhase 1 /Phase 2 2,884 Oct-03 
			 Gartree E Wing refurbishment 1,043 May-04 
			 Kingston/Portsmouth refurbish C Wing/CPIG(60) 1,987 Mar-05 
			 Kirkham replace living units 4,094 May-03 
			 Lincoln refurbish B Wing 5,067 Nov-02 
			 Long Lartin upgrade C and D Wings 5,072 May-04 
			 Portland care and custody unit 1,659 Aug-03 
			 Portland refurbish living accommodation 14,471 Nov-06 
			 Preston refurbish D Wing 3,357 May-04 
			 Preston refurbish C Wing 5,147 May-06 
			 Swansea refurbish B Wing 2,207 Dec-04 
			 Wakefield refurbish C Wing/New education 9,330 Aug-01 
			 Wakefield refurbish B Wing 9,726 Dec-04 
			 Wealstun replace accommodation-Phase 2 9,193 May-05 
		
	
	(60) CPIG Crown Premises Inspection Group (Fire)
	The information supplied has been collected within the Property Services Group of Her Majesty's Prison Service, which does not deal directly with refurbishments carried out within the Private Estate. As the establishments within the Private Estate have not been running long enough for the need to modernise, it is unlikely that any large scale refurbishments have been planned so far, although some upgrading work may have been carried out at local level.

Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all prisons in England and Wales have a race relations officer in service; and what action he is taking to promote such a position.

Paul Goggins: All establishments must appoint a race relations liaison officer to provide information to staff and prisoners on national and local policies and to monitor race relations within the establishment. Race relations liaison officers are allocated a core minimum of eight hours a week, with additional hours dependent on the nature of the establishment. An increasing number of establishments have also appointed full-time diversity officers. These are usually prisons that are large, have a large minority ethnic prisoner population, or are in an isolated location making community links difficult to organise.
	The name and role of the race relations liaison officer is widely publicised to staff and prisoners. Many establishments display photographs of the race relation liaison officer and also members of the establishment's race relations management team.

Proceeds of Crime Act

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value was of assets (a) seized and (b) frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in (i) 2002 and (ii) 2003, broken down by region.

Caroline Flint: The total value of criminal assets recovered under all proceeds of crime legislation was 47 million in 200203 and 54.5 million in 200304. The 47 million comprises 41 million in confiscation orders and 6 million in cash forfeitures. The 54.5 million comprises 38.9 million in confiscation orders and 15.6 million in cash forfeitures.
	The confiscation and restraint powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003.
	The total value of receipts recovered under the Act in 200304 was just over 5 million comprising 4.7 million in cash forfeitures and 343,671 in confiscation order receipts. Information on the value of cash forfeitures broken down by region is not available. Table A shows the value of confiscation order receipts under proceeds of crime legislation broken down by magistrates courts committee areas in 200203 and 200304.
	Table B shows the value of restraint orders made in 200304 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 by the Crown Prosecution Service broken down by area. Information on the value of restraint orders made by HM Customs and Excise is not available. In 200304 the Assets Recovery Agency had 24 civil recovery cases subject to freezing orders with a total value of 14.1 million.
	
		Table A: Summary of total receipts remitted to the Secretary of State by legislation and MCC area, 200203 and 200304
		
			  
			  200203 200304 
			 MCC area Total Pre-POCA POCA Total 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 284,115.70 640,304.89 0.00 640,304.89 
			 Bedfordshire 65,321.02 229,846.45 0.00 229,846.45 
			 Cambridgeshire 193,497.68 370,588.65 12,523.94 383,112.59 
			 Cheshire 50,926.99 106,589.47 0.00 106,589.47 
			 Cleveland 24,110.29 346,485.27 0.00 346,485.27 
			 Cumbria 50,564.58 90,662.25 270.00 90,932.25 
			 Derbyshire 334,352.50 95,612.92 0.00 95,612.92 
			 Devon and Cornwall 176,686.75 765,092.18 0.00 765,092.18 
			 Dorset 203,615.78 187,149.28 8,991.83 196,141.11 
			 Durham 23,252.78 231,314.25 0.00 231,314.25 
			 Essex 920,701.63 596,219.38 61,915.30 658,134.68 
			 Gloucestershire 727,753.72 37,840.12 0.00 37,840.12 
			 Greater London (GLMCA) 20,851,102.35 12,550,941.58 102,892.82 12,653,834.40 
			 Greater Manchester 1,614,785.00 1,654,899.81 (61)65,119.51 (61)1,720,019.32 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 626,592.79 360,893.16 8,858.96 369,752.12 
			 Hertfordshire 494,871.53 287,797.90 0.00 287,797.90 
			 Humberside 343,107.88 767,476.56 0.00 767,476.56 
			 Kent 1,537,885.81 2,249,555.73 9,635.83 2,259,191.56 
			 Lancashire 253,096.85 1,003,473.83 117.00 1,003,590.83 
			 Leicestershire(62) 219,295.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Lincolnshire 223,300.13 133,482.19 670.00 134,152.19 
			 Merseyside 560,093.54 980,907.40 0.00 980,907.40 
			 Norfolk 265,989.78 323,890.64 0.00 323,890.64 
			 North Yorkshire(62) 112,724.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Northamptonshire 112,832.51 239,973.04 0.00 239,973.04 
			 Northumbria 57,869.23 505,291.22 0.00 505,291.22 
			 Nottinghamshire 527,948.83 941,697.98 650.00 942,347.98 
			 South Yorkshire 55,659.00 433,345.30 420.00 433,765.30 
			 Staffordshire 253,614.60 952,932.01 0.00 952,932.01 
			 Suffolk 880,304.39 52,091.68 3,228.42 55,320.10 
			 Surrey 1,683,278.27 527,494.48 7,700.00 535,194.48 
			 Sussex 1,801,592.26 2,905,899.70 3,619.75 2,909,519.45 
			 Thames Valley 1,023,789.75 726,864.09 41,733.35 768,597.44 
			 Warwickshire 626,758.00 285,330.00 0.00 285,330.00 
			 West Mercia 4,241.43 345,176.40 0.00 345,176.40 
			 West Midlands 2,967,853.21 1,302,619.38 5,724.25 1,308,343.63 
			 West Yorkshire 387,089.70 2,820,648.45 0.00 2,820,648.45 
			 Wiltshire(62) 193,557.00 22,915.24 0.00 22,915.24 
			 England 40,734,133.32 36,073,302.88 (61)268,951.45 (61)36,407,373.84 
			  
			 Dyfed-Powys 36,170.45 411,312.92 0.00 411,312.92 
			 Gwent 82,011.63 71,119.13 0.00 71,119.13 
			 North Wales 122,514.88 1,774,595.21 0.00 1,774,595.21 
			 South Wales 32,905.55 182,825.15 9,600.00 192,425.15 
			 Wales 273,602.51 2,439,852.41 9,600.00 2,449,452.41 
			  
			 England and Wales 41,007,735.83 38,513,155.29 (61)343,670.96 (61)38,856,826.25 
		
	
	(61) Greater Manchester MCC only able to supply data for total POCA offences (offence category not separately identifiable) for Q3 and Q4.
	(62) Data from MCC area not received for all or part of 200304.
	
		Table B: Value of POCA restraint orders 200304
		
			   
			 42 areas Value 
		
		
			 P01Avon and Somerset 409,804.99 
			 P02Bedfordshire  
			 P03Cambridgeshire  
			 P04Cheshire  
			 P06Cleveland 75,251.88 
			 P07Cumbria 293,983.00 
			 P08Derbyshire  
			 P09Devon and Cornwall  
			 P10Dorset 124,635.18 
			 P11Durham 100,000.00 
			 P12Dyfed Powys  
			 P13Essex 15,313.36 
			 P14Gloucestershire  
			 P15Greater Manchester 250,000.00 
			 P16Gwent 1,295,000.00 
			 P17Hampshire  
			 P18Hertfordshire 1,570,000.00 
			 P19Humberside  
			 P20Kent  
			 P21Lancashire 1,570,000.00 
			 P22Leicestershire  
			 P23Lincolnshire  
			 P24Merseyside  
			 P25Metropolitan and City 1,372,268.68 
			 P26Norfolk  
			 P27Northamptonshire  
			 P28Northumbria 100,000.00 
			 P29North Wales  
			 P30North Yorkshire  
			 P31Nottinghamshire 70,256.57 
			 P32South Wales 1,913,638.65 
			 P33South Yorkshire 540.00 
			 P34Staffordshire 1,153,000.00 
			 P35Suffolk 1,751,172.50 
			 P36Surrey 183,150.00 
			 P37Sussex 1,934,322.50 
			 P38Thames Valley  
			 P39Warwickshire  
			 P40West Mercia 21,000.00 
			 P41West Midlands 275,320.19 
			 P42West Yorkshire  
			 P43Wiltshire  
			 Casework D Ludgate 736,661.46 
			 Casework D York 71,000.00 
			 Casework D Birmingham  
			 RART Wales 60,000.00 
			 RART West Midlands  
			 RART North East  
			 RART North West  
			 CCB RO figures

Proceeds of Crime Act

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value of assets (a) seized and (b) frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in (i) the West Midlands, (ii) Birmingham and (iii) Hodge Hill was in (A) 2002, (B) 2003 and (C) 2004.

Caroline Flint: The confiscation and restraint powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003.
	The information available relates to confiscation order receipts received by the West Midlands magistrates courts committee area. The total value of confiscation order receipts recovered in the West Midlands under proceeds of crime legislation was 2,967,853 in 200203, and 1,308,343 in 200304. The total value of confiscation order receipts recovered in the West Midlands under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in 200304 was 5,724 and 66,631 at the end of the second quarter in 200405.
	The value of restraint orders obtained under the Act by the Crown Prosecution Service in the West Midlands was 275,320 in 200304 and 1,085,000 by the end of the second quarter in 200405. Information on the value of restraint orders obtained by HM Customs and Excise is not available. As at the end of September 2004 the Assets Recovery Agency had 40 civil recovery cases subject to freezing orders with a total value of 19.8 million.

Prostitution

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken by (a) his Department, (b) the police authorities and (c) immigration officials to seek to prevent women from overseas countries seeking residency in the United Kingdom to become self-employed prostitutes; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The immigration rules do not allow residency in this country on the basis of self employment as a prostitute.
	We also have strong measures in place to tackle those looking to come into the country illegally. Organised immigration crime is being addressed by Reflex, a multi-agency taskforce involving the police and immigration service and led by the National Crime Squad. Last year (April 200304) Reflex resulted in the disruption of 38 criminal gangs involved in organised immigration crime.
	In July this year the Home Office published Paying the Price: a consultation paper on prostitution. Part of this consultation exercise focuses on the legal framework relating to prostitution. The consultation period runs until the 26 November.

Rackspace

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what correspondence his Department had with foreign government agencies prior to the seizure of web servers from the office of Rackspace on 7 October.

Caroline Flint: Home Office officials did not enter into any correspondence with foreign government agencies in this matter prior to 7 October.

Sex Abuse Investigations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the implications of offering anonymity to teachers accused of sexual abuse until a decision has been made by the court.

Paul Goggins: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave her on 1 July 2004, Official Report, column 394W.

Speeding Fines

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average revenue received by the Metropolitan police for speeding fines imposed by them was in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: Fines are imposed by courts, not by the police, and the police receive no revenue from them.
	Speeding offences are also dealt with by fixed penalty notice. Fixed penalty income usually goes to the Consolidated Fund. Under the provisions of the national safety camera programme, however, local partnerships of police, magistrates courts and local authorities can net off as much income from fixed penalties resulting from camera enforcement as is needed to meet the approved costs of such enforcement. Income cannot be netted off for other purposes. The London Partnership, of which the Metropolitan police are part, was established in 2002. In its first year, it netted off approved costs of 4,549,380.

Street Crime

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use has been made of the power of courts in 10 street crime force areas to remand young offenders aged 12 to 16 years into secure accommodation.

Paul Goggins: Between 22 April 2002 (when the relevant powers were extended to include those with a repeat offending history) and 22 October 2004 1,133 young defendants aged 1216 were remanded to local authority secure accommodation in the 10 street crime areas.

Student Visas

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the number of hours a student from overseas in the United Kingdom on a visa is able to work; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: No. Overseas students are already allowed to take part-time employment during term time up to a maximum of 20 hours per week. They are also allowed to work full-time during vacation periods. This follows the general principle which traditionally allows students to take employment that is incidental to study and to supplement their income. It strikes a sensible balance between the permitted number of working hours and the minimum of 15 hours of organised daytime study required by the Immigration Rules. There are no plans to change this.

Styal Prison Deaths

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman into deaths at Styal Prison.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 26 January 2004
	I commissioned the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) to investigate the circumstances and events of the death of Julie Walsh at Her Majesty's Prison Styal on 12 August 2003 and to examine the death in the context of five previous deaths. On 23 January I issued a statement summarising the main findings of the report and the action that the Prison Service is taking to prevent a recurrence.
	I have asked the PRO to prepare an abridged version of the report for publication omitting personal and sensitive information which, if published, would add unnecessarily to the distress of the bereaved families. In recognition of the public interest in the report I intend to seek the agreement of the Coroner before publication in order to ensure that he is content that the five outstanding inquests will not be prejudiced.

Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003.

Fiona Mactaggart: At present the Home Office has no Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants on its office estate. There is one pilot CHP unit at a Young Offender's Institute.
	We are working towards the target set under the Framework for Sustainable Development of sourcing at least 15 per cent. of electricity from good quality CHP by 2010. As an initial step we will look at setting up a procurement standard for CHP in conjunction with the Office for Government Commerce. Work has also been commissioned to explore the possibility of introducing more CHP units within the Prison Service estate.

Tampere Agenda/Outcomes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the main targets for the Tampere 2 Agenda are.

Caroline Flint: The main objectives for the Tampere 2 Agenda, now to be called the The Hague Programme, is to add value to the efforts of member states to tackle cross-border crime, asylum abuse and illegal immigration. We aim to do this through development of practical measures aimed at improving co-operation between member states on access to justice, strengthening external borders, fighting organised cross-border crime and combating terrorism. We welcome measures to; improve intelligence-led policing; strengthen the EU's border controls; develop minimum security standards in passports/ID cards including use of biometric identifiers; and incorporation of JHA issues into the European Union's external priorities, in particular re-admission and returns.

Tampere Agenda/Outcomes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of (a) the reaction to the outcome of Tampere 1 in (i) Poland, (ii) Hungary, (iii) Slovenia, (iv) Slovakia, (v) Czech Republic, (vi) Estonia, (vii) Latvia, (viii) Lithuania, (ix) Cyprus and (x) Malta; and (b) how Tampere 2 has been received in each country.

Caroline Flint: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has noted that the 10 member states have applied those measures adopted under the Tampere 1 agenda (the Tampere Programme) as part of their accession to the European Union acquis.
	These 10 member states have been full participants in discussions on the Tampere 2 programme (The Hague Programme) but it has not yet been agreed. The Government has kept in contact with all member states, including the 10 referred to, during discussions on the Hague Programme. Like other member states they have key interests in The Hague proposals, which in many cases align with those of the UK.

TETRA Radiation

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plans to commission further research programmes on the effects on human health of exposure to TETRA radiation modulated at approximately 16Hz, using human volunteer studies.

Caroline Flint: We have commissioned a number of research projects to study the effects of TETRA emissions on human health, some of which use human volunteers. Earlier this year, as part of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, we commissioned the University of Bradford to carry out a study into possible non-linear and demodulation mechanisms in biological tissue. We will commission further studies as necessary as part of our ongoing research programme.

TETRA Radiation

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation exercises have taken place with police officers regarding the use of TETRA headsets.

Caroline Flint: The police service has been fully involved in the review of radio communications that lead to the adoption of the new TETRA Airwave radio system. Deployment of police equipment is for individual forces to decide on.
	The Police Federation supports the new system, and is keen to see realised the benefits to officer safety from the clearer signals, better coverage and enhanced safety features that Airwave offers.

TETRA Radiation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research his Department has commissioned on the health issues surrounding the TETRA system.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 4 November 2004
	We have a wide programme of research in place on the health and safety aspects of TETRA. Recently we have, as part of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, commissioned the University of Bradford to carry out a study into possible non-linear and demodulation mechanisms in biological tissue.
	Further research is under consideration. Details of any additional research will be placed on the Home Office website as soon as they are available.

TETRA Radiation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation he has had with the Police Federation on the use of radios linked to the TETRA system by police officers.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 4 November 2004
	The police service was involved in the decision to adopt Airwave, the new police radio system that uses TETRA technology.
	The Police Federation supports the introduction of Airwave, and is keen to realise the benefits to officer safety from the clearer signals, fuller coverage and enhanced security features Airwave provides.
	The Police Federation has been, and continues to be, involved in the implementation of the Home Office's programme of research into the health and safety aspects of TETRA technology.

Theft/Criminal Damage

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will require offenders who have committed offences of theft or criminal damage and who are required to pay an on-the-spot fine to be registered in such a way as to enable their victims to seek compensation from the offender.

Hazel Blears: Penalty notices for theft and criminal damage will be targeted at low level offences, normally those committed by first time offenders. The operational guidance issued to the police advises that the value should not exceed 200 for theft with values over 100 deemed exceptional, and over 500 for criminal damage with values above 300 deemed exceptional. Where an officer considers an offence suitable for a fixed penalty notice he is required to consult the victim and advise that this will remove the possibility of a criminal court awarding a compensation order. However, compensation may still be pursued through the civil courts.
	If a victim wished to seek compensation he would be able to cite the issue of a penalty notice for the offence as evidence and the police would provide details of the offence and offender to facilitate this process.
	It is expected that fixed penalty notices will be issued for offences usually involving low values where the victim is likely to benefit by not having to attend court and give evidence, but can see the offender punished by receiving an on the spot fine of 80.

Visas

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons visa applicants are asked not to contact the Immigration and Nationality Directorate about their applications.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	A person applying for a visa or entry clearance must be outside the UK or Islands at the time of making their application and must apply to a diplomatic post designated for that purpose. The majority of these applications are decided locally by Entry Clearance Officers, to whom this function is delegated, without any reference to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). In such cases, there would be no need for the individual concerned to contact the Immigration and Nationality Directorate about their application.
	Visa applications may be referred to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for a final decision if discretion outside of the Immigration Rules is to be considered or deferred for further inquiries to be made in the United Kingdom. When this happens there would be no objection to the applicant making contact with IND direct.

Work Permits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were submitted for work permits under the (a) seasonal agricultural workers scheme and (b) sector based schemes since May 2003; how many were approved; and to which countries' citizens they were issued.

Des Browne: The Immigration Employment Document used under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers' Scheme (SAWS) is known as a work card. The scheme is run on behalf of the Home Office by Operators who are not required to maintain information on the numbers of applications made for work cards.
	The numbers of applications that were approved, and for which a SAWS work card was issued, in 2003 was 23,329.
	Between 30 May 2003 (the date SBS was launched) to 30 June 2004 28,102 Sectors Based Scheme (SBS) applications have been submitted, and 18,725 SBS permits have been approved.

Work Permits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications were submitted for the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme between January 2002 and October 2003; how many were approved; from which countries applicants came; how many (a) applications and (b) approvals there have been since November 2003; and from which countries applicants came.

Des Browne: The latest available information on the top 10 nationalities for the Highly Skilled Migrant's Programme is shown in the table.
	Data on applications approved for the period November 2003June 2004 is incomplete as a number of these applications have not yet been decided.
	
		Highly Skilled Migrant Programmereceived andapproved based on 1st applications onlyperiod 1 January2002 to 30 June 2004(63)
		
			 Nationality Received Approved Approved (%) 
		
		
			 January 2002 to October 2003 
			 India 1,150 641 56 
			 Pakistan 606 236 39 
			 Nigeria 697 151 22 
			 United States of America 892 728 82 
			 Australia 373 258 69 
			 South Africa 469 333 71 
			 New Zealand 133 97 73 
			 Zimbabwe 239 76 32 
			 China 2 1 50 
			 Russian Federation 148 105 71 
			 Others 2,500 1,239 50 
			 Total 7,209 3,865 54 
			 
			 November 2003 to June 2004 
			 India 3,833 600 16 
			 Pakistan 2,339 245 10 
			 Nigeria 920 133 14 
			 United States of America 571 193 34 
			 Australia 823 217 26 
			 South Africa 725 219 30 
			 New Zealand 416 108 26 
			 Zimbabwe 158 51 32 
			 China 370 65 18 
			 Russian Federation 203 46 23 
			 Others 2,428 621 26 
			 Total 12,786 2,498 20 
		
	
	(63) In line with IRSS Guidelinesstats may only be provided to 30 June 2004

Young Offenders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the offences for which young offenders have been remanded in secure accommodation under section 130 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.

Paul Goggins: The information provided by the Youth Justice Board does not distinguish between remands to local authorities and those to other accommodation. It is not possible to provide a breakdown by offences.

Young Offenders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders have been subject to the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme since its launch; and what the recidivism rate has been of those who participated in it.

Paul Goggins: Between the start of the scheme in July 2001 and the end of August 2004, 10,831 young people have been subject to the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme . The recently published initial evaluation report showed a re-offending rate of 85 per cent. but a 43 per cent. reduction in the frequency of offending and a 16 per cent. reduction in the seriousness of offending.